


Tilted Frames

by newdog14



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien is still there he just isn't chat, But I only tagged the ones with major roles in the plot, Chat!Felix, DJWifi, F/M, Felix fic, I'm gonna bounce between redoing canon, LadyNoir - Freeform, Light Angst, Marichat, Minor Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Slow Burn, The whole class is here, and original akumas, but mostly I'm shifting canon to have Felix as Chat Noir, felinette - Freeform, mostly fluff tho, reverse love square
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2019-11-05 05:07:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 40,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17912558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newdog14/pseuds/newdog14
Summary: Félix never wanted to go to school, but now that he's here, he's decided to keep going. School makes it easier to slip away for his duties as Chat Noir, so it's only logical. His decision certainly isn't related to his attractive classmate, or her never ending kindness, or her endearing awkwardness. And anyone who says otherwise will suddenly find himself without a steady supply of Camembert.Marinette has a problem. As Ladybug, it's important to keep her identity secret above all else. Even if that means that she can never tell her partner how she really feels about him, and that she has to keep her crush a secret from her friends, which is easier said than done. Following her heart has never been such a challenge, and anyone who argues will have to deal with mini chocolate chips in her cookies.





	1. Ladybug and Chat Noir

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so here's the first chapter of my Felinette fic! Their ship tag is too small so I decided to expand on it. This fic will mostly focus on tilting canon through the lense of "what if Félix were Chat Noir?", but I've got a couple akuma ideas I've been dying to use, so those will turn up too.
> 
> If you've got a request for a specific scene/akuma from the show, just leave it in the comments, I'd love to bring it to life for you!
> 
> And shout out to the folks in the group chat for helping me with this, y'all are the real heroes here.

It had never been Félix’s intention to be sent to school. It hadn’t been his idea, he had never approved of it, and if he’d known that his mother had once again gotten it in her head that he needed friends, he would have invited Chloé over for tea and been done with the matter.

As it was, Félix had been outmaneuvered, and he was now standing outside of Collège Françoise Dupont, listening to his mother explain how good it would be for him to be with people his own age. She’d tricked him into getting out of the car and then locked him out of it, much to his annoyance.

“Mother, I really don’t believe this is necessary. I was doing just fine with tutors.”

His mother rolled her eyes. “I swear, you’re just like your father. It’s not about _necessary_ , Félix. It’s about getting you out of that stuffy old house! You know I don’t like the thought of you just sitting around all alone.”

 _Then don’t leave me alone._ “I’m not alone.”

“The house staff doesn’t count as company unless you actually speak to them, Félix.”

Félix sighed, letting his gaze drift away from his mother as she continued on about the importance of socializing. The sidewalk was mostly empty, except for an old man making his way towards him. Félix frowned, the man looked like he was one strong breeze away from falling over.

“If you _really_ don’t want to go, I suppose I won’t make you, but I wish you’d at least give school a chance,” Félix heard the car door unlock, and almost moved towards it, but then the old man really did fall, his cane clattering to the ground and rolling out of reach as he went down. Félix was moving before he’d even had time to weigh the decision, grabbing the cane and helping the old man to his feet.

“Are you alright?” Félix asked.

“Yes, thank you, young man,” the old man said, giving him a smile.

“Oh my, look at the time,” Félix turned back to his mother, scowling as she feigned surprise. “I’ll miss my flight if I don’t leave right now. Jules will come back to pick you up after class!”

“Wait, Mother—”

“Bye Félix, I love you!” The car was already moving, and Félix sighed. He was just going to have to tolerate attending school for a day. He turned back to the old man, but he was nowhere to be seen. _That’s odd._

“Adrien! Stop!”

A blond boy raced towards Félix, followed by a professional looking woman and an overly large man. The boy was running too quickly, and Félix didn’t have time to move out of the way before the inevitable collision. They both fell to the ground in a heap.

“Adrien, your father has not given you permission to go to school,” the professional woman said, standing over the boys with her arms crossed. “It’s time to go home.”

The boy sighed, rising and offering Félix a hand. “Sorry for running into you.”

Félix stood on his own, brushing himself off as best as he could. Today just wasn’t his day, was it? The other boy was ushered off to a car that was parked down the street, and Félix turned back to the school with a sigh. He wished _his_ father had forbidden him from going to school; he hadn’t even gone inside yet and he already knew he was going to hate it.

Félix sighed again, then pulled the strap of his bag higher onto his shoulder. He had no way home until Jules came back, so he supposed he might as well go inside. He slipped a hand into his bag to grab his paper schedule, then made his way into the school to find his first class.

Collège Dupont was loud and crowded, two qualities that Félix took an immediate dislike to. He scanned the crowd of students; for the most part they all stood in smaller bunches, clearly divided into their own little groups.

He kept one eye on the crowd as he made his way to the stairs, which is why he didn’t see the small girl barreling towards him until they collided. Félix stumbled, but his arms came up on reflex and he managed to steady them both before they could really fall.

“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry!” she spoke rapidly, and it seemed like the large box in her hands was the only thing preventing her from gesturing along with her words. She had short black hair and bright blue eyes, and Félix had the passing thought that she was sort of cute. He tensed up, pulling back from her immediately. _Where had that come from?_

“Just watch where you’re going next time,” he said, inadvertently cutting her off mid-word. He moved past the girl and continued up the stairs, keeping his eyes on the numbered doors as he looked for the room his first class would be held in. He wasn’t here to make friends, he was here to appease his mother long enough for her to drop this idea about school and friends and socializing. His father had always told him that friends were only useful so far as they could be of use to you, and Félix highly doubted that there would be anyone of use to him here.

 

* * *

 

Marinette stared after the boy, frowning slightly at his rudeness. She knew she was at fault for running into him, but there was no reason to be so short with her over it.

Marinette shifted her macaron box in her arms, she might as well head up to class; at the rate her morning was going it would be a miracle if her macarons survived long enough to be handed out. She’d nearly lost them earlier when she pulled that old man out of the road, and if that boy hadn’t caught her she surely would have lost them when she’d bumped into him.

Marinette made her way up to her class, shaking off her nerves. It was a new year, and it was going to be a good one. When she got to Madame Bustier’s room about half of the class had filled in, but Marinette’s usual seat was still open.

“Nino, why don’t you come forward this year?” Madame Bustier said, gesturing for Nino to move to the front row. Marinette noticed the boy she’d bumped into earlier had also picked a seat in the back row, but Madame Bustier seemed content to let him stay there.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Chloé said, approaching Marinette with a nasty grin. Marinette groaned. _How do I already have her attention?_

“Here we go again.”

“That’s _my_ seat,” Chloé sneered.

“But Chloé, this has always been my seat,” Marinette said. Her protest wasn’t delivered very strongly, but she had a hard time standing her ground against Chloé.

“Not anymore,” Sabrina chimed in, sliding into the seat next to Marinette. “New school, new year, new seats.”

“So why don’t you just go and sit beside that new girl over there,” Chloé said, pointing to a girl with red hair and glasses. She seemed nice enough at first glance, but Marinette wasn’t quite ready to let Chloé bully her out of her seat just yet.

“But—”

“Listen,” Chloé cut her off, “Adrien’s arriving today, and since _that’s_ going to be his seat,” she pointed to the desk in front of Marinette, then brought her hand down hard on Marinette’s desk, “ _this_ is going to be my seat. Get it?”

Now Marinette was _really_ confused. “Who’s Adrien?”

Chloé and Sabrina gasped as though she’d just said something scandal worthy, than broke into laughter. “Can you believe she doesn’t know who Adrien is? What rock have you been living under?”

“He’s only a _famous model,_ ” Sabrina said, her soft voice still managing to sound incredibly condescending.

“And _I_ am his best friend. He _adores_ me,” Chloé said. Marinette heard a loud scoff from behind her, and Chloé froze, turning to the back row with a sneer that quickly became a look of surprise.

“Félix? What are you doing in school?” Chloé was looking at the blond boy Marinette had bumped into, and he sighed.

“Well I _was_ trying to read, but your squabbling has put an end to that,” Félix said. “If you could settle this dispute in a quieter fashion, I’d be much obliged.”

“Fine,” Chloé said. _Woah. Did Chloé just back down?_ “Marinette, move.”

“Hey, who elected you queen of seats?” Now the new girl had gotten involved. _Oh dear_.

“Oooo, look, Sabrina! We’ve got a little do-gooder in our class this year,” Chloé sneered. “What are you gonna do, super newbie? Shoot beams at me with your glasses?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she said darkly, then shoved passed Chloé to reach for Marinette. “C’mon.”

“Wha—” she pulled Marinette up, which would have been fine, except that she was Marinette, Walking Disaster Dupain-Cheng, and in her haste to grab her things she ended up unstable, and both she and her macarons went crashing to the floor. “Sorry, sorry, sorry!”

Chloé snickered as she took her new seat, and Marinette scrambled to clean up the mess of macarons while Madam Bustier called for the beginning of class. _So much for a fresh start._

 

* * *

 

Félix’s wasn’t having a good day, even before the school was attacked by a stone giant. Chloé appearing in his class had been an unpleasant surprise, even if she was too busy talking about some Adrien boy to make a real nuisance of herself. Félix idly wondered if she would have noticed him at all if he’d been able to suppress that laugh, but quickly dismissed the thought as the idea of someone adoring _Chloé Bourgeois_ was too ridiculous to not get a reaction out of him.

When Félix had gotten to class he’d chosen a seat in the back, next to a boy wearing headphones who looked like he probably wouldn’t try to strike up a conversation. Félix had been right, but then their teacher had called the boy forward, and the seat was taken by a redheaded boy who had immediately introduced himself as Nathaniel.

Thankfully Nathaniel was satisfied with simple introductions, and stayed fairly quiet for the rest of the class. The class itself was incredibly boring, at least to Félix. The curriculum he’d been on with his tutors had been leagues ahead of his age level, and it became glaringly apparent to him that the classes he’d be taking here at Collège Françoise Dupont would primarily be a review.

In addition, his classmates all seemed petty and immature, constantly finding excuses to argue with each other. One of them was even sent to the principal's office within moments of the bell ringing. Félix wondered if he could convince his mother to pull him out of school if he told her about the fighting.

When he followed his less athletic classmates to the library, he wasn’t expecting much from it. The school’s library, however, was impressively extensive, and filled with cozy places where he could read without being disturbed. Or at least, he’d _thought_ that would be the case, until the entire building started to shake, causing Félix to fall right out of his chair.

Books were shaking off the shelves with every steady thump, and students were screaming as they were knocked around. Félix made his way between the shelves towards the center of the library; he’d seen a TV there when he came in, hopefully it could shed some light on what was going on.

When Félix made it to the small congregation of students who were watching the screen, he’d expected to see something about an earthquake, or maybe a bombing. What he did _not_ expect was to see video of a large, stone goliath wreaking havoc on the school grounds.

“KIM!” Félix didn’t know who Kim was, but he would hate to be them right now.

“What’s going on? Is that Ivan’s voice?”

“Woah! It’s a real life supervillain!”

“Pretty sure that’s a _bad_ thing.”

“Do you think this means we’ll get to go home soon?”

The stone creature roared once more, and chucked a car towards the camera, effectively ending the video. Félix noticed that all but a handful of students had already fled the library, though the girl he’d run into earlier was still there. _What had Chloé called her? Marie? No, that’s not right._

Madam Bustier appeared behind them, calling for silence. “Students, may I have your attention please? Now there’s no need to be alarmed, the authorities will take care of everything. However, while the school is checked over for structural damages, classes will be canceled. Please make your way out of the building in an orderly fashion, and please be careful on your way home.”

Félix couldn’t imagine better news, and pulled his phone out to text Jules the good news.

 

* * *

 

Now that he was settled back in his room, Félix could finally relax. Sure, there was a large stone creature tearing up Paris, but the authorities were already handling it, and by turning off the news he could pretend that it was going well for them. Félix was just about to curl up with one of his favorite books, when he noticed a small black box sitting on his desk. _Where did that come from?_

Félix picked up the box, studying the strange markings carved into the sides, before popping it open. He was immediately blinded by a greenish white light.

“What the—“

“Oooo! This place is fancy!”

Félix stood in shock as a small, black creature flitted about his room. It had giant ears, long whiskers, a tail, and bright green eyes. It looked like a floating rat.

“Ah!” The creature flew towards his face, and Félix raised his book to swat at it on reflex.

“Hey! Watch it with that thing!”

“What _are_ you?” Félix said, moving back to put as much space between him and the creature as possible.

“ _I_ am Plagg, the kwami of the Black Cat miraculous,” the little creature said, puffing out his chest in pride. “Pleased to meet you.”

It—Plagg?—floated off again, investigating Félix’s room and attempting to eat everything in sight. “Hey! Stop that!”

Plagg did not stop, and Félix raced to catch him. The little rat was fast, but Félix managed to trap it with a waste basket. “Heyyyy!”

“How did you get here? And why are you here?”

The little creature crossed it’s arms and rolled it’s eyes. “I told you, I’m a kwami. I grant powers, specifically that of destruction. Okay?”

“No—”

“Hey, you got anything to eat? I’m starving!”

Félix sighed. This was not going well. “If I get someone to bring you food, will you explain what’s going on?”

“No one can ever know about me!” Plagg said, his voice suddenly serious. “No exceptions!”

“If you want me to keep you secret, start explaining yourself,” Félix said, glaring at the diminutive creature. It groaned in response.

“Fine, fine. I’m here because you were chosen to be the next wielder of the Black Cat miraculous. I give you the power of destruction, you become a superhero, and then you give me cheese!”

“And I should believe this because…?”

The kwami zipped through the basket, then flew up in front of Félix’s face. “Just put on the ring, and when you’re ready to transform, say “Plagg, transformez moi!” and I’ll turn you into a hero.”

Félix looked towards the small box Plagg had come from, now noticing the silver ring within. “Okay. Anything else?”

“Your job is to help Ladybug defeat the akuma. Your special power is activated by the word “Cataclysm”. I’m sure you’ll figure the rest out, just follow Ladybug’s lead.”

“And Ladybug is _who_ , exactly?”

“Your partner, and wielder of the Ladybug miraculous,” Plagg said. “Both of your true identities need to be secret though.”

Félix sighed. _Might as well give it a try_. “Plagg, transformez moi!”

 

* * *

 

Marinette had not been prepared for duty as a superhero, but she couldn’t just sit around while Stoneheart destroyed Paris, either. Unfortunately, while Tikki’s magic may have been able to grant her a magic suit and magic yo-yo, it did nothing to help her clumsiness.

“Ahhh!” She lost control of her swinging, but instead of just falling, she smacked into a person. Her yo-yo went wild, leaving the two of them in a tangled mess and dangling upside down. “Oh gosh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to do that.”

Marinette was met with a set of bright green eyes, framed by a black domino mask.

“It’s alright, there’s a learning curve to this stuff.” With a bit of wiggling they both managed to get free, and once she was right side up Marinette took in her new companion.

The boy had blond hair, and he was clad all in black. He also had cat ears, claws, and a belt that seemed to act like a living tail, which Marinette would normally consider odd, but today had been strange enough that she wasn’t sure anything could surprise her anymore. “Are you the user of the Ladybug miraculous my kwami was going on about? I think we’re supposed to be partners.”

“Er, that’s me,” Marinette said. “What’s your name?”

He hummed in thought for a moment, before answering. “How about Chat Noir?”

“Sounds good to me,” she said, tugging her yo-yo down from where it had gotten tangled. Unfortunately this led to it falling and hitting her newfound partner in the head. “Oh gosh! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that either. I’m so clumsy.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get better with practice,” Chat Noir said, giving her a small smile, which she shyly returned.

“So wha—” Marinette was cut off by a crash that seemed to shake the whole world, followed by the untimely collapse of a building. _Oh dear_.

“I’ll bet that’s our akuma,” Chat said. “Ready to save Paris?”

Marinette bit her lip. _Not at all, but…_ “As I’ll ever be.”

“Good. Let’s head out then,” Chat said, then elongated his staff and vaulted away.

 

* * *

 

Félix arrived at the stadium just in time to block Stoneheart from pursuing a teenage boy. “Why don’t you pick on somebody your own size?”

“I _know_ you can’t be talking about yourself,” the rock responded. Félix glared at it, he was going to need to start coming up with better insults if this was going to be a regular thing. He didn’t have long to dwell on it though, because the stone behemoth lunged at him. _Time to fight then._

Félix got in a few dodges, then saw an opening to vault over Stoneheart and hit him from behind. The move went perfectly to plan, except for the part where Stoneheart grew several feet afterwards. Félix knew that his partner was having trouble figuring out her yo-yo, and that she’d fallen a bit behind, but he _really_ hoped she’d make it here soon. He had no idea how he was supposed to fight this thing.

The only thing he could do was dodge, but that wasn’t a great strategy in the long run, a fact that was proven by Stoneheart throwing a soccer goal at a nearby civilian. _What is she doing just standing there?_

Félix threw his staff, willing it to elongate enough to deflect the goal. Unfortunately for Félix, he’d forgotten about Stoneheart, and was promptly grabbed in a large rocky fist. He heard the civilian calling across the field for a red bug, and then suddenly his partner was on the field, her yo-yo latching onto Stoneheart as she landed. _Thank goodness_.

“Excuse me sir, but I’m going to need you to drop the kitty,” she said. “I can’t stand animal cruelty.”

She yanked on her yo-yo, pulling Stoneheart off balance and forcing him to drop Félix. _Now things should get interesting._

 

* * *

 

Marinette could not believe that that had actually worked. She’d had no real idea what she was doing, she’d just followed her gut, but she’d done it! Chat was free, and now they just needed to take down the akuma. _But how?_

“How do you wanna play this, partner?” Chat Noir asked, voicing her unspoken question.

“The direct approach isn’t going to work,” Marinette said, thinking back to Chat’s fight. “It only gets bigger and stronger when attacked.”

“True, but what should we do instead?” Chat asked. Marinette thought for a moment.

“I don’t know, I’m sorry,” she said, shrinking in on herself. She was probably the worst hero ever.

“You don’t have to apologize,” Chat said. “We’re supposed to have powers, right? Let’s try those. We’ll figure something out together.”

“Okay,” Marinette said, smiling. Maybe they could pull this off.

“Cataclysm!” Chat called. His hand was engulfed in black magic, and he looked at it in shock. It was a pretty cute expression on him. _Focus Marinette!_

“My kwami said I had the power of destruction, so I guess I just touch something to destroy it?” Chat reached for the goal, and Marinette realized his intent a second too late to stop him.

“No wait!” _Too late_. Chat made contact and the goal instantly rusted into dust. It would have been impressive, if not for one little fact. “Chat! We only get to use our powers once, and then we get five minutes before we transform back. Didn’t your kwami explain that?”

Chat looked surprised for a moment, then his ears flattened and his eyes narrowed. “ _Plagg,_ ” he said the name almost like a hiss, then shook his head. “I believe his instructions went something along the lines of “You’ll figure it out along the way.””

Marinette resolved to thank Tikki for being more thorough in her instructions later. “Guess it’s up to me then. Lucky Charm!”

Marinette tossed up her yo-yo, and was surrounded by red and pink magic. It flew above her head, then resolved into...what seemed to be a red and black inflatable suit? _What?_

“What?” Chat looked just as confused as she was. _Figure it out later._

“Right, well, my kwami said I needed to find and break the object with the akuma in it,” Marinette said, focusing on the approaching figure.

“Then it’s a shame you didn’t get a jackhammer, because I don’t think we’re gonna be able to break that stone,” Chat said, frowning at their enemy. He was getting closer now. _Wait a second…_

“Look at his hand! It’s been closed in a fist this whole time,” Marinette said. Chat followed her gaze and his eyes widened in realization.

“You think he’s holding something?” He said, and Marinette nodded.

“It’s gotta be his object! All we have to do is get him to open his fist,” Marinette said.

“And how do you propose we do that?” Chat asked.

Marinette thought for a moment, _how indeed?_ Suddenly the world went black and white, and her focus was brought to Stoneheart’s fist by a flash of red and black. Then she spotted Alya hiding across the stadium, and the tap next to her, which was connected to a hose that happened to end right at her feet. A plan formed in her mind, and when the world re-colorized, Marinette knew _exactly_ what to do. It took her no time at all to attach the hose to her lucky charm.

“I have a plan, but you’re gonna have to trust me,” Marinette said. Then she wrapped her yo-yo around Chat and flung him straight at Stoneheart.

“Wait—” Stoneheart caught Chat with ease, and Marinette tucked the Lucky Charm under her arm before jumping after him.

“Catch me if you can!” She taunted, and just as she’d hoped, Stoneheart caught her in his other fist. Something small flew out of his hand, and she made note of where it landed. “Alya, the tap!”

Thankfully her friend understood her role instantly, and she moved to twist the tap on immediately. There was a few seconds delay as the water moved through the hose, but then it was inflating the suit, and leveraging open Stoneheart’s fist in the process. Marinette jumped free, then dashed towards the object he’d dropped. It shattered when she stomped on it, and a small purple and black butterfly flew off.

The rocks that formed Stoneheart crumbled, and both Ivan and Chat Noir fell to the ground. _I did it!_

The previously akumatized object reformed into a regular piece of paper, and Marinette made sure to grab it before making her way to her partner.

“Bravo!” Chat said, grinning at her. “I knew you could figure it out.”

“Thanks for believing in me, Chat Noir,” she said, suddenly feeling sheepish. “I could never have done it without you.”

She held out her fist, only to see that cute, puzzled expression again. “What are you doing?”

Now it was Marinette’s turn to be confused. “Haven’t you ever gotten a fist bump before?”

Chat shook his head, but he held his fist out in response, and mirrored her when she brought them together. “Bien joué!”

As they both pulled back Chat’s ring beeped, and Marinette frowned. “You should get going. You don’t have much longer before you’ll transform back, and our identities need to remain secret.”

“Alright. I hope we’ll meet again soon,” Chat said, giving her a smile before dashing off the field.

“Me too,” Marinette said, though she doubted he could still hear her.

“What happened? Where am I?” Ivan asked, drawing her attention to both him. _Time to help a_ _friend_.

 

* * *

 

Félix had barely gotten back on the ground after leaving the stadium before his transformation slipped away, releasing an exhausted Plagg into his hands. _So that’s how I get him to behave._

“So tired. So hungry. Need...Camembert…” Plagg spoke as though he were dying, and Félix rolled his eyes as he tucked the kwami into his pocket.

“I’ll get you food as soon as we get back home,” he said, starting off for his house.

 

* * *

 

When Félix had made good on his promise of food for Plagg, he switched on his seldom used TV to see what the news was making of Paris’ new heroes. He managed to tune in just in time to catch the tail end of a video of his partner leaving the stadium.

“Miss...uhh…”

“Ladybug. Call me Ladybug,” she said, then leapt off the screen. The video minimized and the news anchor took over the broadcast.

“Thanks to this ameture footage, we Parisians now the identities of their heroes.”

“So how was your first day as a superhero, Félix?” Plagg asked, apparently finished with stuffing his face full of smelly cheese.

“I...I liked it,” Félix said, almost surprising himself with the information. He hadn’t been sure of what to expect when he decided to take a chance and put on the ring, but it’d actually been nice. He finally felt like he had a real friend, for starters. Ladybug didn’t know who he was, which meant she couldn’t only be interested in his money or his family’s power. She couldn’t be using him.

“Good, cause I really like getting access to all this cheese,” Plagg said, returning to his smelly feast. _Ick._

The news switched to a video of the mayor, who had apparently called a conference to discuss the new heroes. “I am pleased to announce that we will be holding a celebration in honor of our new heroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir!”

“Plagg, do you know what actually caused the—” Félix cut himself off as the news changed once more, returning abruptly to the news anchor.

“Just as Paris is about to celebrate our two new heroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir, a new wave of panic is sweeping across the capital as dozens of people have been randomly transformed into stone monsters identical to the one our heroes defeated earlier today.”

“Oooo, that’s not good,” Plagg said, though he continued eating anyway.

“The victims that were transformed into stone beings are still like statues. Police are perplexed as we try to figure out what will happen to them. Will they come to life or simply be frozen in time forever?”

“Plagg, what’s going on? I thought Ladybug and I defeated Stoneheart,” Félix said, frowning at the glutinous kwami.

“Did you capture the akuma?” Plagg asked.

“What do you mean, _capture?_ I thought we just needed to free the kid?” Félix asked.

“That’s step one, but akumas multiply if they aren’t captured. If the original victim experiences his negative emotions again, he’ll be transformed once more, _and_ he’ll be able to use these new victims as his own personal army!” Plagg said.

Félix frowned. “And how do we stop it?”

“Well, you could try keeping the guy from experiencing negative emotions until Ladybug finds and captures the original akuma,” Plagg suggested.

“Wait, Ladybug? Are you saying I can’t capture akumas myself?” Félix asked. “That seems incredibly unbalanced.”

“Ladybug has the power of creation, so she’s the only one who can capture akumas and repair damage done by supervillains,” Plagg said.

“So what _can_ I do?” Félix asked.

“All you can do right now is wait, or try and keep the boy from experiencing more negative emotions. We’d have to figure out where to find him though,” Plagg shrugged, then returned to his cheese. Félix sighed.

“He goes to my school, we should be able to find him there tomorrow,” Félix said. He’d sort of forgotten about having to go to school now, and the reminder did nothing to help his mood.

“Oooo cool! I’ve never been to school before,” Plagg said, “Do you think they’ll have Camembert there too?”

“I’ll bring you some,” Félix said absently. He tried to think logically about it; going to school and pretending to have friends would undoubtedly give him an excuse to slip out of the house whenever he needed to fight an akuma.

Plagg cheered, and Félix quirked a small smile at the kwami’s antics. _Maybe it won’t be so awful after all._


	2. Stoneheart

The buzz Marinette had felt after defeating Stoneheart had entirely faded, instead leaving her with a sense of dread over how badly she’d messed up yesterday. Because of her screw up, there were dozens of innocent people all across Paris who’d been turned to stone, and there was nothing anyone could do to help them.

Tikki had _told_ her that she needed to capture the akuma, but in the heat of the moment Marinette had completely forgotten that instruction, and now everything had gone wrong. Her parents assured her that everything would be okay, that Ladybug would fix everything, but those assurances only went so far. Paris _needed_ someone to be Ladybug, but it just couldn’t be Marinette.

The jewelry box holding the earrings sat heavy in her purse, weighing her down as she walked to school. She’d miss Tikki, and Chat Noir too, but things would just be better once someone else had the earrings. Someone strong and confident, who wouldn’t fold under pressure or mess up capturing an akuma, someone like—

“Marinette!”

“Oh, hey Alya!” Marinette turned to her new friend, smiling as they fell into step.

“Girl, check this out!” Alya said, pulling out her phone and handing it to Marinette, “Ladyblog: bringing you all the latest news about the coolest superhero, Ladybug.”

Marinette examined the site carefully, Alya had done a good job designing it. It made Ladybug look so professional, and heroic. _Pretty much the exact opposite of me_.

“How awesome it that? Check out the number of views since I posted the video!” Alya was grinning as she took her phone back, checking the numbers once again. Marinette couldn’t help but curl in on herself a bit at the thought of how excited people were about Ladybug.

“But...why do you trust Ladybug so much? All these stone beings…”

“She’s gonna handle ‘em,” Alya said brightly.

“But what if she’s not really cut out to be a superhero even though everyone thinks she is?” Marinette asked.

“What are you talking about, girl?” Alya said, her grin quickly giving way to a suspicious look. “Oh wait. _I_ know what this is about.”

Marinette jolted, had her questions been too specific? Had Alya figured out that she had been Ladybug?

“You’re scared, but don’t be,” Alya placed a reassuring hand on Marinette’s shoulder, and Marinette relaxed at the touch. Her secret was safe after all.

“I’ve seen her with my own two eyes, girl,” Alya said, pulling back and gesturing to enunciate her point. “Ladybug is a _true_ super-heroine. She’s gonna protect us all!” Alya grinned at Marinette, her voice growing more sincere as she said, “I believe in her.”

Marinette couldn’t help but be touched by that confidence, even if she didn’t share it. _Maybe…_

 

* * *

 

"So you really don’t remember anything?” asked a pink haired girl.

“You were totally going ballistic,” a goth girl said, her voice filled with awe. “It was _so_ cool!”

_I should probably put more effort into learning the names of my classmates._

Félix was standing on the edge of a circle of his classmates, doing his best to keep an eye on Ivan’s mood as the other students filled him in on what had gone down while he was akumatized. Though he wasn’t sure how _he_ could help improve Ivan’s mood if things went sour. Distract him? Encourage him?

“You were seriously out to crush me dude,” said a boy in a red hoodie that Félix recognized as the akuma’s target. _His name was Kim, right?_

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t myself,” Ivan said. He looked guilty and upset about his actions. _Someone needs to change the topic, now._

“Once a monster, always a monster.” _Chloé._ Félix sent her a glare, as did most of the other students, but Chloé seemed completely unbothered by the clear disapproval of her classmates.

Ivan made an angry noise, then stood up and stormed out of the courtyard. _Not good._

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!” Chloé singsonged after him.

“How could you say that to Ivan? You’re the _real_ Stoneheart!” The girl who’d stepped up to yell at Chloé was the same one who’d filmed his and Ladybug’s fight with the akuma; if she could handle that fight, she could handle Chloé, so Félix decided to follow Ivan instead. He wasn’t really sure what to _say_ to Ivan, but someone needed to say _something_.

It was probably for the best that one of the other students beat him to the punch though. When Félix arrived at the locker room, Ivan was already talking to the dark haired girl Félix had bumped into on his first day.

“Come on, I saw the way you look at her,” she said, earning a surprised sound from Ivan, which then turned sad. “No! No negative emotions, Ivan. Er, what I mean is, be positive. I’m sure Myléne has feelings for you too.”

Her voice lowered to a whisper for a moment, so Félix didn’t know what she said, but Ivan just scoffed. “I’m no good with words anyway.”

“Who needs words? You could draw her a picture, send her flowers…”

“I could...write her a song?” There was a question in his voice, and hope, and the girl immediately lit up with a smile.

“That’s a great idea! What girl wouldn’t want a love song written especially for her?” she said. “Go for it, Ivan, and stay positive!”

Ivan nodded, then stood and left the locker room. He didn’t even notice Félix as he left, but the girl did, when she followed her friend out.

“Hey! Were you eavesdropping on us?” She was too small to really be intimidating, but the glare she fixed him with in that moment made him take a step back.

“No, I—”

“So you _didn’t_ overhear everything I just said to Ivan?”

“Not all of it, but I was just trying to see if he would turn back into that monster—”

“Ivan is _not_ a monster!”

“That’s not what I—”

“Just leave Ivan alone!” She said, then turned on her heel and marched away.

“Well that went well,” Plagg snickered. The little rat was tucked away in Félix’s vest pocket, so he could feel every chuckle.

“Be quiet, Plagg.”

 

* * *

 

After she left Félix behind in the locker room, Marinette went to find Alya. She tried to cool down as she walked, she couldn’t let one rude boy ruin her day. She found Alya fuming in the girl’s restroom, but her friend brightened when she saw her. “Hey, girl! Ready to head to class?”

“Yeah! You okay?” Marinette asked.

“I’m fine,” Alya said, leading the way back to the classroom. “It’s just, Chloé makes me so mad sometimes, you know? Sometimes I just need to take a minute and remind myself not to let her get to me.”

They made their way upstairs in companionable silence, and Marinette worked up her nerve. She _had_ to make sure Alya would be willing to take on the mantle of Ladybug if she was going to pass it on to her.

“Alya? Wouldn’t you like to be a superhero and go out and fight monsters and villains?”

“Totally. I’m not scared of _anyone_ . Why?” Alya asked. _Maybe I should have tried to work that question in more naturally._

“Oh! No reason,” Marinette said, trying to play it off. Alya shrugged and let the matter drop, and Marinette breathed a silent sigh of relief. Now all she had to do was slip Alya the earrings. She opened her purse as quietly as possible, carefully letting Alya walk a few steps ahead of her as she pulled out the small black box. Alya’s own school bag had an unsecured flap, and Marinette managed to slip the box into the bag with Alya being none the wiser. _Phew_.

Marinette was relieved to have successfully passed on the earrings, but her relief didn’t last too long. When she got into the classroom, she noticed a new guy sticking gum on her seat. _Oh I am so done with rude boys today!_

“Hey! What are you doing?”

 

* * *

 

Félix got to class at about the same time Chloé wandered in with Adrien, the boy she’d been so excited by the day before. _That’s the guy that knocked me down yesterday. He must have really wanted to come to school then._

Félix did his best to tune out Chloé’s fawning, though he did wonder how the kid managed to seem so unbothered by it. _If Chloé was actually telling the truth when she claimed Adrien adored her, I’ll eat Camembert._

Félix decided that the best way to drown out Chloé would be with a bit of light reading, and pulled out _Les Misérables_ to pass the time until class started.

He was jolted out of his reading by a familiar, angry voice, and had already tensed up to defend himself when he realized that he wasn’t actually the person being yelled at.

“Oh! I, uh…” Adrien was cut of by laughter from Chloé and her little minion.

“Okay, I get it. Good job you three, very funny,” Félix couldn’t see what had been done to the girl’s seat from where he was sitting, but he was guessing that whatever it was, it was childish and immature. So, standard behavior for Chloé Bourgeois.

“No, no! I was just trying to take this off,” Adrien said, earning himself a glare.

“Oh really?” Her anger was momentarily interrupted by her tripping, which sent Chloé into a new fit of laughter. “You’re friends with Chloé, right?” She said it as though it were an insult, which Félix supposed it _was_.

Adrien muttered something else, then turned back to his desk as the girl sat down in a huff. Félix decided to return to his book, and didn’t look up again until roll call began.

“Agreste, Adrien,” Madam Bustier called. The boy in question hesitated for a moment before jumping up and calling out. The other students laughed, but Félix stayed quiet. If his name had been the first one called yesterday he probably would have done something similarly embarrassing.

“Bourgeois, Chloé.”

“Present.”

It was too faint to be certain, but Félix thought he could feel a slight thudding throughout the building. He suddenly realized that there was someone very clearly missing from the classroom, and kicked himself for not having noticed earlier.

“Bruel, Ivan.”

Very suddenly, the door was pushed open with enough force to send if flying, and the familiar figure of Stoneheart burst into the room with a shout, “Present!”

The room erupted into screams, and Félix jumped out of his seat to flee the classroom. He needed to get somewhere private so that he could transform.

“Myléne!” Stoneheart roared, stomping further into the room as Félix ran out of it. Most of the fleeing students were heading outside, so Félix headed towards the locker rooms. As soon as he was alone, Plagg floated out of his pocket.

“I don’t suppose we can just take this as a day off?”

“Not a chance,” Félix replied. “Plagg, transformez moi!”

 

* * *

 

Marinette was officially in full panic mode. Not only had Ivan been reakumatized, and subsequently activated his stone army, but Alya had left her bag behind, which meant she wouldn’t be able to find the earrings and become Ladybug. _This is bad_.

Marinette did the only thing she could think of, and followed Alya out of the school. She needed to get the bag to her friend so that Ladybug could save the day. Alya was faster than Marinette, but she wasn’t worried about losing the amateur reporter—Alya would no doubt be heading right for the center of the action.

Unfortunately, by the time Marinette caught up, everything had already gone horribly wrong. Chat was completely outnumbered by stone giants, and quickly being overwhelmed by them. When one of the monsters threw a car towards Alya, there was no time for her to move out of the way. Marinette froze, her heart beating like a jackhammer as the car soared towards her friend. Chat threw his staff, thankfully managing to keep the car from crushing Alya, but the reporter was now trapped underneath the vehicle, and without his weapon Chat was practically defenseless.

_This is bad._

“Let me go, Stonehead!”

_What do I do?_

“Help!”

For a moment Marinette’s world was filled with terror, but Alya’s scream lit a fire of determination within her. All her fears and doubts faded in the face of what needed to be done, and Marinette pulled the earrings from Alya’s bag without hesitation. She knew what to do.

Tikki’s return was met with a red light and an excited squeak when she caught sight of Marinette.

“I’m going to need Ladybug.”

“I knew you’d come around!” The little being said, giving her a big smile.

Marinette’s hesitation came back for a moment. Could she really do this? “Well, I’m still not sure I’m up for this job,” she said, but with a glance back towards where her friend was trapped, she crushed those doubts. “But Alya’s in danger, and I can’t sit back and do nothing!”

With her reasoning fresh in her mind, Marinette readied herself for the transformation. _I can do this._ “Tikki, transformez moi!”

Tikki’s magic engulfed her once again, warm and reassuring as the world went pink and red. When the glow of the magic faded, Marinette felt a new rush of confidence surge through her. _Time to be a hero._

With a flick of her wrist she sent her yo-yo flying, sending it between the car and the building, then pulling it back around a pole to create leverage. Freeing Alya was child’s play, and her friend was standing next to her, safe and sound, within minutes. Alya looked ecstatic to see her, and clearly had questions, but Marinette needed her to be out of harm’s way. Stoneheart already had at least two civilian hostages, he didn’t need a third.

“Get out of here, it’s too dangerous.” Alya nodded, so hopefully that meant she’d listen.

Marinette grabbed Chat’s staff and launched herself after the stone giants who’d carried away her partner. Luckily they hadn’t gone far, and the staff had shrunk significantly since it had been dropped, so it was easy enough for her to slip the staff into the stone fist keeping her partner off the battlefield. “Chat, extend it!”

The blond boy had no trouble understanding her line of thought, and within seconds had used his staff to force the fist open. He started to fall, but Marinette caught him with her yo-yo before he could hit the ground, then tugged him out of harm’s way. Hopefully he didn’t mind hanging upside down again. If this was going to be a regular thing, she was gonna need to work on catching people in ways that didn’t leave them hanging from lampposts.

“Sorry I was a bit late,” she said. _Please don’t be mad_.

“It happens,” Chat said, giving her half smile. “I’m glad you made it though, I don’t think I could do this job without you.”

“Lucky for you, you don’t have to,” Marinette said, returning his smile.  Her head snapped up at a roar from the nearby giants, who were quickly advancing. “There’s no time to catch up though. We’ve gotta get out of here!”

She tugged on her yo-yo once more and sent him flying up to the rooftops, then leapt after him so she could lead the way.

“Are we just going to leave them be?” Chat asked, barely a step behind her as they raced across the rooftops.

“Not exactly,” Marinette said, using her yo-yo to pull up a video from the news. _Okay, that’s kind of awesome_. “If we want to take down all of them, we have to go to the source.”

The two of them landed in La Trocadero, which meant they now had a perfect view of Stoneheart, who had climbed halfway up the Eiffel Tower. “We have to stop _him_.”

 

* * *

 

The police had created a barricade around the tower, and had two helicopters circling the structure. It seemed a bit like overkill to Félix, especially because nothing the police had was going to help this situation. All it really did was create extra noise, and Stoneheart’s roar was already so loud that Félix suspected it could be heard in Germany.

“I demand my daughter’s safe return at once!” the voice Andre Bourgeois cut through the air with the help of a megaphone. _Oh, right. He took Chloé_.

“Daddy!” Chloé’s own voice needed no such help to cut across Paris, and Félix in particular had to flinch at the sound of it. _Are my ears more sensitive as Chat?_

“You know what?” Stoneheart roared, “You’re welcome to her!”

Félix’s eyes widened in horror as Stoneheart pulled back and threw Chloé straight towards her father like she was a tennis ball. Félix may not have liked the girl, but he didn’t want to see her dead. He himself would never have made it in time to save her, but when he turned to his partner he found she was already gone.

Chloé’s scream pierced through the air, but Félix’s eyes were on the blur of red racing towards her. It was close, but Ladybug managed to rescue Chloé just in time to save her from breaking so much as a nail.

He raced to catch up, and managed to arrive just in time to hear that the police were planning an attack. _This should end well_.

 

* * *

 

“Wait, no!” Marinette stepped forward, and sent a silent _thank you_ to Chat when he moved forward as well to show his support. “Don’t attack him, you’ve got to know it’ll only make things worse!”

The police captain scoffed, and Marinette immediately knew he wasn’t going to listen. “I have a new plan, unlike _you_.”

Marinette tried not to visibly slump, and tried to rally her determination to protest again again.

“Now step aside and the professionals handle this,” he said,, cutting her off before she could begin. “You’ve already failed once, little girl.”

Marinette’s determination shattered, followed shortly by her confidence, and she turned away from the police to face Chat instead. “He’s right you know. If I had just captured the akuma the first time around, _none_ of this would be happening right now. I knew I wasn’t the right person for this job.”

She buried her face in her hands, so it surprised her when Chat spoke.

“He’s not right, and you didn’t fail,” he said. He looked a little unsure of himself as he spoke, and it made Marinette feel a little better to know that she wasn’t the only one out of her comfort zone. “You made a mistake, it happens to everyone. The important thing is that you came back to make things right. As long as you keep trying, you’re not failing anyone.”

Chat put a hand on her shoulder, and directed her attention to Chloé and her father. “You just saved that girl’s _life_ , which is a feat _no one else_ could have pulled off. You _can_ do this, Ladybug. I believe in you, and by the end of today, so will they. All we need is a plan, and whatever it ends up being, I’ll be here to back you up, no matter what.”

Marinette could feel her face heating up, and hoped her blush was covered by her mask. _This boy…_

Marinette steeled herself, this was no time for crushes, they had an akuma to defeat. She felt her confidence return though, and she gave Chat a determined grin. “Okay. Thank you, Chat Noir.”

The moment was broken by a series of grinding coughs, and Marinette turned her attention back towards Stoneheart just in time to see him start spewing a cloud of black butterflies into the air. _There must be thousands of them._

Stoneheart fell back onto one of the inner platforms of the tower, and the butterflies joined together to form a face.

“People of Paris, listen carefully,” The voice emanated from the butterflies, deep and menacing in a way that made Marinette think of a villain from a kid’s cartoon. “I am Papillon.”

“Papillon?” _Is this who’s behind the akumas?_

“Ladybug, Chat Noir, give me the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculouses now! You’ve done enough damage to these innocent people.”

 _No._ Marinette was _not_ going to let this guy turn things around. She gave a brief applause, then stepped forward, doing her best to seem completely at ease and unbothered by this turn of events. “Nice try, Papillon, but we _know_ who the bad guy is. Let’s not reverse the roles here.”

She smiled as she walked towards the tower, she just needed to get a _little_ closer so she could make her move. “After all, without _you_ none of these innocent victims would be transformed into villains. Papillon, no matter how long it takes, Chat Noir and I _will_ find you. And when we do, _you’ll_ be the one handing over a miraculous!”

Marinette dashed forward, tossing out her yo-yo so that she could launch herself up to the tower. The motions came to her on instinct, with no need to stop and consider how she might do something. The words she needed came to her the same way, and she let her voice ring out as she called on the magic of Ladybug. “Je te libère du mal!”

She tossed her yo-yo again and again into the cloud of akumas, slowly depleting their numbers with streaks of red light, until finally the cloud dispersed completely, and Papillon’s presence was banished from the tower. When Marinette landed on one of the beams of the tower, every akuma had been captured, and the crowd of bystanders below her looked on in awe.

“People of Paris, let me make this promise to you: No matter who wants to harm you, Ladybug and Chat Noir will do everything in our power to keep you safe!”

She pulled her yo-yo up, then released the former akumas. Now that they had been purified, their wings were pure white, and the butterflies spiraled out in a great cloud before making their way out into the city. As she watched them, Marinette felt fairly awed herself.

The awe faded quickly when the tower suddenly shook. Stoneheart roared from below her, followed by a cry for help from Myléne. _Time to finish this._

 

* * *

 

Félix hadn’t known what to expect for his second battle with Ladybug. Her plan was even stranger than the first had been. _He_ certainly never would have thought of getting Myléne to kiss Ivan, though he couldn’t deny the effectiveness of it. The real miracle came at the end of the fight though, when Ladybug cast her ultimate power.

“Miraculous Ladybug!”

All of Paris seemed to be engulfed in bright pink light and ladybug swarms. As he led Ivan towards where Ladybug was waiting with Myléne, he couldn’t help but voice his awe. “This is incredible.”

“Yeah!” Ladybug said, seeming a bit in awe herself. “It’s beautiful and amazing, it’s...Miraculous!”

The magic dissipated with her shout, but they’d healed the city of all the lingering effects of the akuma. When the magic faded, things seemed to go back to normal almost immediately. The police started breaking up the barricade, and Félix took a step back as Ladybug encouraged Ivan and Myléne to talk about their feelings, something which ended in a heartfelt hug that had Ladybug fawning over the couple.

“Aw, they’re so made for each other,” she said, sighing as she watched them.

“I’m pretty impressed you were able to tell, I never would have figured that out,” Félix said, tilting his head in thought as he watched them. “Although, I’ve never really been too great at reading people.”

Ladybug giggled. “I’ll bet you just need some practice. I’ll turn you into a proper matchmaker in no time!”

As she spoke, their Miraculouses began beeping. “Maybe one day, Ladybug, but for now we’ll have to postpone that lesson.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Ladybug said, grinning as she turned to go.

“One more thing!” Ladybug turned back to him with a look of confusion, though it faded into a grin when he held out his fist. Ladybug stepped back towards him, raising her own fist.

“Bien joué!”

Ladybug smiled as she stepped back, then gave him one final wave before tossing her yo-yo and swinging off. Félix himself ran back towards La Trocadero, slipping out of sight within the archways so that he could release his transformation.

Plagg flopped into his hands, playing up his exhaustion as much as possible. “Ugh. Superheroing is so exhausting.”

“Oh? Well if you’re that tired, then I suppose you won’t be interested in any Camembert,” Félix said. The way Plagg immediately perked up was actually kind of funny, and Félix rolled his eyes while he fished out a piece of the smelly cheese. Plagg really was just like a cat. _A lazy, spoiled cat_ .

 

* * *

 

Félix arrived early to class the next morning, determined to pay attention and learn the names of his classmates. Plagg complained about leaving so early, but Félix felt that it would be best to learn the names and hobbies of each of his classmates, just in case anyone else was akumatized.

“You don’t have to rationalize making friends,” Plagg grumbled. Félix pretended he hadn’t heard the little rat, and made sure that he was the first student in the classroom that morning.

“Morning, Félix,” Nathanael greeted as he took his own seat, pulling out his notebook as soon as he was seated. In the few days they’d known each other, Nathanael had almost always  been drawing.

“Good morning, Nathanael,” he returned. For a moment they were quiet, but Félix thought back to his resolution of learning about his classmates, and resolved to start an actual conversation. “What are you working on?”

Nathanael seemed surprised for a moment, but then his eyes lit up with excitement, and he launched into an explanation of the comic he was working on that continued until he was interrupted by the other students. Or rather, one student in particular who made herself impossible to ignore.

“Uh, you’re in the wrong seat,” Chloé sneered, and Nathanael and Félix turned to watch as she stared down...Félix still hadn’t learned her name, which said a lot about his social skills, given that she was one of the classmates he’d interacted with most. “Go on, get lost!”

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing,” the dark haired girl said, just a hint of smugness in her tone. Félix couldn’t see the girl’s face, but Chloé’s was a hilarious mix of indigent and confused.

“What is _that_ supposed to mean?”

“It means that I’m not putting up with your crud anymore, Chloé, and neither is anyone else around here,” The girl stood up as she spoke, her voice rising in volume as she continued. “So take your attitude and go on, get lost!”

The rest of the class erupted into laughter at seeing Chloé’s own words get thrown back at her, and as Chloé stormed off to take her new seat, Félix decided that he was going to try and make it back onto the dark haired girl’s good side. She was clearly a force to be reckoned with, if she could stand up to Chloé and win.

“Marinette’s pretty awesome, huh?” said Nathanael. He had a look on his face like he wasn’t really paying attention, but now that he had a name for the dark haired girl, neither was Félix.

“Yeah, she is,” he said.

_Marinette._

 

* * *

 

The school day went by quickly after that, not that it mattered, as Félix received a text from Jules informing him that due to traffic, he was running a bit late. Félix didn’t know his way around the city well enough to walk home, so he was stuck at the school. He wasn’t sure if the school would let him stay inside, so he resolved to wait outside. It was a nice enough day, after all.

He was debating whether or not to sit on the stone steps leading up to the school when someone walked into him, or fell onto him, really. The two of them went down, and both of their bags seemed to have burst open and spilled their contents across the steps. Félix was more concerned with the small body that had landed on top of him though.

“Oh no!” Marinette said, scrambling to get off of him. “I’m so sorry, I just tripped, and—” she cut herself off with a frown, seeming to notice who she was talking to. She turned to gather up her papers without another word, and Félix took that as his cue to do the same. _She really doesn’t like me then._

For a moment they were both quiet, just gathering up their things, but Félix realized that he probably wouldn’t get a better opportunity to make things right with her, and resolved to break the silence.

“Marinette?” She frowned at him, but she didn’t abandon her things and leave, so Félix counted that as a win. “I wanted to tell you, I didn’t mean any harm yesterday. I had just wanted to make sure Ivan wasn’t too upset by Chloé’s words. I’d only wanted to try and help, I swear.”

Her frown vanished, instead being replaced with a look of suspicious confusion, so Félix kept on, hoping that was a good sign. “I’m not very good with people. Especially people my own age.”

Marinette gave him a slight, almost mocking smile, but her tone was light when she spoke. “Oh really?”

“Really. I haven’t been to a proper school before, and I didn’t get much practice talking to other kids growing up,” Félix said. “I know I didn’t make the best impression on you though, and I was wondering if we might be able to start over?”

Marinette looked thoughtful for a moment, but then she smiled, and held out her hand. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Félix Lapointe,” he said, taking her hand. “Likewise.”

“I look forward to being your friend.”

Marinette pulled back from the handshake with a giggle, and Félix realized that he was gaping like a fish. He tried to shake off his surprise for a more dignified expression. “Me too.”

Marinette gave him another smile, then checked the stairs one last time to make sure they’d gotten everything before she stood back up. She held out her hand again to help Félix up as well. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Félix said, “Tomorrow.”

Marinette smiled at him once more, then made her way down the steps. Félix watched her go, an unfamiliar warmth growing in his chest. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he didn’t hate the it, and he had the feeling it had something to do with Marinette.

“Very smooth, Casanova,” Plagg’s voice cut through the air, and Félix turned a glare on the small being now peaking out from his vest pocket.

“I don’t know what you think you’re on about—”

“You mean your very obvious crush on Marinette?”

“I barely know her, I don’t have a crush, Plagg.”

“Sure you don’t, Félix.”

Félix sighed. He had the sneaking suspicion that this conversation was far from over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here ends chapter 2! I hope you guys are enjoying it so far, and for those of you who may have noticed how closely I've been following the show, don't worry, the story will start diverging more now that I'm out of the exposition stage. I don't if I'll rewrite every episode from the show, and I'll probably stick to the ones that would be most fun to write, but I'll try to supplement the ones I skip with original plots. As I mentioned before, feel free to request the akumas you'd most like to see brought to life in this AU!


	3. Hat Trick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who's left kudos and comments on this fic, it really means a lot to me that you all like it! I hope this chapter lives up the the expectations of the last one, too! I'd also like to once again thank the folks in the group chat, for helping me with where I got stuck. 
> 
> Also, some of you may notice I added some tags, that's because the story changed a bit as I wrote it, but mostly in little ways, just characters behaving differently from how I'd first pictured.

Félix had started to like school, at least for the most part, but some of the events the school held were just sort of...weird.

Case in point, their principal had just announced an impromptu design contest, for _derby hats_ , of all things, which was going to be judged by Gabriel Agreste, the reclusive king of fashion. _Just...why?_

“You can work alone or in pairs, just long long as the hats are designed and crafted by entirely by you,” Madam Bustier said, smiling at the class. “I look forward to seeing your designs, and you’ll have the rest of the day free to work on them.”

The classroom erupted in excited whispers as students began filing out of the room, everyone excited for either the contest or the unexpected day off.

“Are you going to make a hat, Félix?” Nathanael asked, gathering up his things.

“I’m not really much of a designer,” Félix said, following Nathanael out of the room. “But I’d be willing to assist someone else. I know enough about current fashion trends that I might be helpful.”

“You know fashion?” Nathanael asked, his eyebrows rising in surprise and glancing at Félix’s overly formal outfit, which he tried not to be offended by.

“To an extent. My mother runs _La Chérie_ ,” F élix said, keeping his voice disinterested, even as he watched Nathanael in his periferary to see the other boy’s reaction. _La Chérie_ was one of the most popular fashion magazines in France, and it did fairly well internationally too. Over the years Félix had gotten a lot of different reactions to the news of his mother’s occupation, but it _always_ seemed to change people’s opinions of him, and usually made them think they could get something from him.

“Huh,” Nathanael said, “And she still lets you get away with all that gray?”

Félix glared, but there wasn’t much heat behind it, and Nathanael only laughed. _Nothing has changed._

The two of them joined a group of some of Nathanael’s other friends, now in the midst of an argument.

“Do you even know what a derby hat _is_?” Alix asked, a playful challenge in her voice.

“Yeah, and I bet Max and I could make one that’s ten times better than anything you could throw together,” Kim shot back, issuing a challenge of his own. Félix hadn’t known either of them long, but it hadn’t been difficult to figure out that Alix and Kim had a competitive streak longer the Seine. Neither could resist any dare or challenge, and Félix had already borne an unwilling witness to everything from races to arm wrestling to ice cream eating contests. Alix had even licked a worm the other day, because Kim said no girl could pull off something so gross. Félix had only been going to school for two weeks.

“Are you guys seriously going to make a bet about who can make the better _hat_?” Nathanael asked.

“Yeah, and you’re on my team, Nath,” Alix said, grinning in triumph as Kim groaned.

“Oh come on, he’s an _artist_ , how is that fair?” Kim protested.

“So am I!” Alix said, glaring up at the taller boy. “And if you get Max, then I get a helper too, it’s totally fair!”

“How are you guys gonna know who won?” Nathanael asked.

“By whoever wins the competition, duh,” Kim said, rolling his eyes.

“Pretty sure Marinette’s gonna win the competition,” Nathanael said, nodding to the girl in question, who was already flipping through a sketchbook with her friend Alya. _Marinette designs?_

“Crud, Nath’s right,” Alix said. “Marinette’s gonna crush us all.”

“We could find a different judge,” Max suggested, “Someone knowledgeable about fashion but impartial to both sides.”

“Félix can do it!” Nathanael said, ignoring the look of betrayal Félix sent his way. “He doesn’t put his knowledge into practice, but he totally knows what’s what in the fashion world.”

“How do we know he’ll be impartial?” Kim asked, eyeing Nathanael suspiciously. “You guys are deskmates, you’ve gotta be all buddy buddy.”

“Actually Kim, Nathanael is now dead to me,” Félix deadpanned. “So he and Alix won’t be getting any special treatment.”

Alix laughed. “Then it’s settled. Félix is our judge.”

“Sweet! Get ready to get crushed, Alix!” Kim said, grinning widely.

“Hey Félix, do I get extra points if my design is done in grayscale?” Alix asked, smiling broadly at him.

“What do you all have against gray?” Félix grumbled.

“Nothing dude, we’re just giving you hard time,” Alix said, lightly punching his arm. “It’s how we show that we’re friends.”

That gave Félix pause. _We’re friends. I have friends._

“That and it really washes you out,” Nathanael said, “You’re pale as a ghost man.”

Félix sighed, but he couldn’t help but show a slight smile. It was nice to have friends.

 

* * *

 

“Gah!” Marinette groaned, dropping her head onto Alya’s shoulder in despair. “I’ve got nothing.”

“You’ll think of something,” Alya said, grabbing the sketchbook and flipping through it. “You’re a creative genius. Haven’t you seen your own sketchbook? These designs are incredible.”

“Thanks Alya, but I’ve got nothing in there that would make a good derby hat. If I can’t think of something amazing, I might as well not put in anything, or else Gabriel Agreste will always remember me as the designer who couldn’t even make a decent derby hat,” Marinette said, getting up to pace through her anxiety. “Then I’ll _never_ get my foot in the door with Paris fashion, and I’ll never become a world renowned designer, and everyone will make fun of me and I’ll never get a job and—”

“Calm down girl!” Alya said, derailing Marinette’s panicky spiral of worst case scenarios. “Just take a breath!”

Marinette did, and she felt much calmer afterwards. “Thanks Alya, I needed that.”

“Hey Alya, hey Marinette.” Marinette turned to see Adrien, and she gave him a smile. His attention had already been drawn to Marinette’s sketchbook though, and Marinette’s panic came right back. If Adrien didn’t like her sketches, there was no _way_ that his father would be impressed by them.

“Woah, Alya, I didn’t know you were a designer,” Adrien said, lifting the sketchbook and flipping through it. “These are really good.”

“Nice as that is to hear, I can’t take credit,” Alya said, “Those are all Marinette Dupain-Cheng originals.”

“Really? That’s so cool Marinette,” he said, giving her a smile before looking back at the book. “Is this a Chat Noir outfit? It’s awesome!”

Marinette spasmed. _I forgot about those designs oh no._

“Oh, uh, well, I mean, uh,” Marinette could kick herself. Chat wasn’t even _here_ and she was getting tongue tied. “He’s a hero! And his cool is costume, I mean, his costume is cool. Uh, I mean, thank you.”

“Totally,” Adrien said, giving her another big smile as he passed her sketchbook back to her. “Well, I can’t wait to see what your hat looks like, if it’s anything like the rest of your designs you’ve got a pretty good chance at winning.”

With that he left, and Marinette groaned and hid her face behind her sketchbook. _I’m such a mess._

“What was _that_ about, girl?” Alya asked, her voice taking on a sly tone that made Marinette panic all over again.

She couldn’t tell Alya about her crush on Chat, it would lead to _way_ too many questions that would almost certainly lead Alya to the realization that Marinette was Ladybug. Or, and to her this almost seemed worse, Alya would think Marinette’s crush was silly and superficial, based only around Chat being a hero, instead of on how sweet and considerate and supportive he was. Chat really was amazing, he always knew just how to make her feel better, and he was so modest too! Not to mention—

“—arinette. Marinette!” Alya’s voice snapped her back into reality, and Marinette gave her friend a sheepish grin.

“Sorry! Sorry, I just got distracted,” Marinette said, standing abruptly and trying to pretend she didn’t see the highly suspicious look that Alya was giving her. “I’m gonna head off now, to go design a hat. Kay, thanks, bye Alya!”

Marinette bolted, making her way out of the school and towards La Trocadero, the most inspiring spot in all of Paris. _Winning derby hat here I come!_

 

* * *

 

“Canceled? What do you _mean_ , canceled?” The woman was aghast, looking in horror between the theater manager and the bright red letters that had been stamped over her poster.

“Look, Marci, I’m sorry, I really am, but your show just isn’t selling tickets anymore,” the theater manager said, giving her an apologetic look. “If there’s ever a resurgence in magic lovers, I’d love to have you back, but for now, people just aren’t interested in magic shows.”

The theater manager left her standing on the sidewalk, and Marci could do nothing but clutch her top hat to her chest and try not to cry. Her career as a magician had barely begun, and she’d already been canceled. It just wasn’t fair!

In her grief, Marci didn’t even notice the small black butterfly flying towards her. Nor did she notice it landing on her beloved hat, though she did hear the voice that echoed in her head as a result, promising her the power to turn all of Paris into a captive audience for her show. And all she had to do in return was get a pair of earrings and a ring.

“Don’t worry, Papillon. This’ll be a Hat Trick.”

 

* * *

 

 Marinette’s derby hat was practically finished, she just needed to attach a pigeon feather and she would be all set for the contest. She could finish her hat in just a few minutes, if she could only get _home_.

Her bus had been sitting still for what seemed like ages now. Finally Marinette couldn’t take anymore, and finally got up to ask the driver what was going on. When she got to the front of the bus she found that all traffic had been stopped by a street performer, who was now standing in the intersection, seemingly putting on a magic show. _What on earth?_

“Hey folks, I’m gonna go ahead and let you all off here, it doesn’t look like we’ll be moving for awhile,” the driver said, opening the bus doors. Marinette stepped outside, eyeing the magician with suspicion, Something felt... _off_ about her, but Marinette couldn’t quite tell what.

She had her back to Marinette, but she seemed like a fairly normal magician. Sparkly blue tailcoat, a top hat with a matching blue band, a perfectly ordinary looking black and white tipped wand.

“For my next trick, I’ll need a volunteer!”

“Hey! You can’t put on a show here!” A very familiar policeman walked out of the crowd, moving towards the woman.

“Ah, thank you for volunteering, sir,” she said, seemingly undisturbed by his attempt to shut down her show.

“I’m not volunteering, I’m giving you a ticket! Now get out of the street!” He said, stopping in front of her. The woman removed her hat and raised her wand.

“One, two, and magic three,” she said, tapping the brim of her hat with each word, “Disappear and then serve me.”

She dropped her hat down on his head, but instead of just sitting on top of the officer, the hat seemed to swallow him whole. Marinette’s eyes widened as a full grown man disappeared, leaving the top hat sitting innocently on the ground. The magician bent to pick up her hat, then turned around, letting Marinette see her face for the first time.

From the neck down, she wore a fairly standard magician's outfit, all formal ruffles and a black vest, save for the blue sequined stripes on the side of her shorts and the matching bowtie, but across her face was a dark black butterfly mask, and Marinette realized that this woman had to be another akuma.

The rest of the crowd also seemed to realize this, because very suddenly everyone started screaming and running away, and Marinette was buffeted away by the crowd. It took effort for Marinette to force her way out of the crowd and down into an alleyway, but she managed, and as soon as she was free of prying eyes, she popped open her bag.

“We’ve got work to do,” she said in lieu of greeting her kwami. “Tikki, transformez moi!”

 

* * *

 

 In the name of impartiality, Félix had been barred from seeing either derby hat until they were both finished and ready for judgement, so Félix retreated to the library to read until his friends were finished with their creations.

Félix didn’t really mind, since the library was one of his favorite places. It was quiet, secluded, and filled with knowledge. He could always come to the library to read without being distributed or distracted.

Or at least, _most_ of the time he wouldn’t be disturbed or distracted.

“Arghhh!!!!”

Because most of the time, policemen didn’t spontaneously appear out of thin air and slam into his table.

“What’s going on here?” The man said, shakily rising. Félix recognized him as the officer who’d talked down to him and Ladybug and couldn’t help but pin the man with a glare. “Just what do you think _you’re_ doing, young man?”

Félix raised an eyebrow. “Reading.”

“And why are you doing something boring like that, when you ought to be going to see Hat Trick’s next show?”

“I...who?”

“Hat Trick! The greatest magician in Paris! And if you’re not on your way to see her within the next minute, I’ll have you arrested for obstruction of magic!”

“I’ll head right to her,” Félix said, standing and fleeing the library as the officer went to hassle someone else.

“Well that was pretty weird,” Plagg said, leisurely floating out of Félix’s pocket.

“I agree, we’ll have to investigate,” Félix said, ignoring Plagg’s whine of protest. “Plagg, transformez moi!”

The lazy kwami was pulled into Félix’s ring, and Félix was engulfed in the white green magic of the Black Cat. Plagg’s magic felt like mischief and danger, but there was a hint of what Félix had come to recognize as fun too.

Once his transformation into Chat Noir was complete, he made his was up to the rooftops of Paris, scanning the city for any signs of danger. He tilted his head as he listened to a noise in the distance, _screaming seems like a safe signal to follow._

Félix ran in the direction of the panic, scanning the fleeing crowd for any sign of an akuma.

“We’re looking for a stage magician in a blue coat,” Ladybug said as she landed on the roof next to him. “Watch out for her Chat—I mean, her _hat_. She can make people disappear into it.”

“Any idea what she wants?” Félix asked, not drawing attention to Ladybug’s slip up. She’d been stuttering and swapping words since the day they’d met, and he suspected that she might have some sort of speech impediment. It didn’t really affect their ability to work as a team though, and even if she couldn’t always say what she _means_ , Félix was pretty good at figuring out what she _meant_.

“I’m not sure, she sort of just started putting on a magic show in the middle of the street and then vanished when everyone ran away,” Ladybug said. “I’m not really even sure how she did it.”

“Oh, Ladybug, a magician never reveals her secrets.” Félix and Ladybug spun around to see Paris’ newest akuma standing behind them. As he took her in, Félix remembered what had happened to tip him off the first place.

“You wouldn’t happen to be Hat Trick, would you?” Félix said, watching carefully as the akuma preened.

“Oh, how quickly word gets around about the next big thing!” She said, then gave him a wicked grin. “And while I’d love to let you stay and watch my show, I’m afraid your disappearance is set for the first act!”

Hat Trick reached into her jacket pocket and tossed out some playing cards. Félix dodged, and was glad he did when they cut about halfway into the brick wall behind him with a loud thunk.

Félix jumped away, Ladybug hot on his heels, and the two raced across rooftops as the akuma pursued them with her deck of deadly playing cards. Félix was just starting to get into the rhythm of dodging the cards when Hat Trick changed tactics, and tossed out a near endless chain of colorful handkerchiefs instead.

Félix dodged the initial throw, and thought that that would be the end of it, but the rope had a mind of its own, and came at him again, instead of falling limp on the rooftop. Félix wasn’t the only one who’d been caught off guard, and the magical rope soon had both him and Ladybug bound tightly together.

Hat Trick lifted the bound heroes with a flick of her wand, grinning as they squirmed and struggled to get out of their bonds. The rope shifted, and Félix’s hand slipped free just enough for his ring to be accessible as the akuma approached. _She’s going to take our miraculouses._

“Chat!” Ladybug squeaked, “Your Attaclys, catalyst, I mean—”

“Cataclysm!” Félix shouted, feeling the rush of destructive magic surge into his hand. Hat Trick jumped back, her fingers had been just mere inches from his ring, and the outline of a purple butterfly appeared over her face. _Is that how Papillon communicates with his victims?_

Félix figured it would be best not to find out what he had to say, so he twisted his hand around to touch the rope of handkerchiefs. As Cataclysm moved through it the fabric frayed and fell apart, then crumbled into dust, and he and Ladybug were freed. His ring beeped at him as they took off once more.

“I don’t have a lot of time, Ladybug,” he said, and she nodded before pulling him to the right. They ran onto the roof of Le Grand Paris, then fled through the rooftop door and down into the hotel.

Andre Bourgeois greeted them in the lobby, clearly excited to have the super duo paying a visit to his business. “Ladybug and Chat Noir, so good to see you! How can I help you?”

“Chat needs to use a room for a bit,” Ladybug said.

“Of course! Use the grand suite, it should be fully stocked,” Andre said, gesturing to one of his employees to lead him there. “Is there anything else you’ll need?”

“Camembert,” Félix answered as the doors closed, leaving him just enough time to see the confused expressions on Andre and Ladybug’s faces.

The man who led Félix to the room was quiet, and only asked him one question, “How do you like your Camembert, sir?”

The service was quick, and if Félix didn’t already live in Paris he would have considered actually staying in the hotel for once. With Plagg’s favorite snack secured, he released the transformation, and the overly dramatic kwami collapsed to the bed in a sprawl of limbs.

“Oh, the humanity,” he said, bringing up a paw dramatically, “I’m so exhausted, I can’t go on, you and Ladybug will have to make do without me, I simply couldn’t move a muscle.”

Félix rolled his eyes and dropped the plate of Camembert onto the bed. “Just eat already so we can get back out there.”

Plagg sat up in an instant, and descended on the rancid cheese as though he hadn’t been fed in days. Félix scrunched his nose in distaste. _Lousy little rat._

 

* * *

 

 Marinette tried to seem confident and collected as she waited in the lobby for Chat, but it wasn’t the easiest thing she’d ever done. Her heart was still beating extra fast from being tied up with Chat, and she didn’t have the privacy to properly calm down.

“So what’s it like being a superhero?”

“Are you gonna be able to beat this akuma?”

“Why did Chat Noir go upstairs?”

“How are you going to stop Papillon?”

Marinette curled in on herself on reflex, feeling overwhelmed with all the attention suddenly directed at her. There were too many questions being thrown out at once, there was no way she could answer all of them, even if she were inclined to try.

“Are you and Chat dating?”

Marinette locked her limbs to keep from flailing, but there was nothing she could do about the blush she could feel spreading across her face. She nearly jumped out of her skin at the feeling of a hand on her shoulder, but a quick look behind her found Chat, and she relaxed instantly as he glared at the crowd.

“Ladybug and I will handle the akuma, stay inside until then,” Chat said, then grabbed her hand and led her out of the hotel. “You alright?”

“Er, yes, you thank, uh, t-thank you,” Marinette said, her blush worsening as she stumbled through her words. _Get it together Marinette!_

“You’re welcome,” Chat said, giving her a small smile. Marinette’s stomach flipped, and she dropped her eyes to where their hands were still clasped. Chat followed her gaze and then let go of her hand, which was disappointing but probably for the best. “So how do you want to deal with Hat Trick?”

Marinette took a breath, trying to get her emotions back under control. “She mentioned a show, we should try to find out where that’s going to be.”

“Okay. Should we split up and search the city?” Chat asked, though he didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic about the idea. After those playing cards though, neither was Marinette.

Luckily for them, Marinette spotted someone who could tell them _exactly_ where to find the akuma.

“Come see Hat Trick, performing _live_ at the Théâtre Édouard VII!” The speaker was down the street for them, handing out flyers, in what could possibly be considered an overly aggressive manner, to anyone who got too close to her.

“No need,” Marinette said, nodding to the woman. “I think Hat Trick’s been making some fans.”

“After you then,” Chat said. _He’s such a gentleman._

 

* * *

 

 Félix could not have been more glad that they hadn’t split up. He was honest enough to admit that if they had, he never would have been able to find the Théâtre Édouard VII on his own. _I should really start learning my way around the city._

Félix and Ladybug were currently crouched on a rooftop across from the theatre, watching the steady stream of people being forced inside by cheery, slightly aggressive promoters. No one came out of the front doors after going in, but Ladybug pointed out that those who went in often turned up again later, only acting as more promoters for the show.

“She must being doing something to them, but I don’t understand how they’re getting out of the building,” Ladybug said, frowning at the doors below them.

“They might not be leaving at all,” Félix said, thinking back to earlier that day. Ladybug gave him a confused look, and he sheepishly explained. “Earlier today, a police officer appeared out of midair in front of me, then yelled at me for not going to see Hat Trick. That’s what tipped me off to an akuma.”

Ladybug’s eyes got wide, “Hat Trick made an officer disappear into her hat! That’s how she’s doing it!”

“Okay, so we have extra reason to avoid the hat,” Félix said.

“Not quite,” Ladybug said, “I’m pretty sure that’s where the akuma is, so we actually need to get it from her.”

Félix sighed. _Of course it is._ “Any ideas on how we do that?”

Ladybug’s gaze trailed from the theatre doors to the rooftop, then nodded. “I think so, but we’ll have to take the long way round to avoid being spotted.”

 

* * *

 

 Félix didn’t like this plan. If it had been suggested by anyone other than Ladybug herself, he would have vetoed it without a second thought. As it was, he was still very much considering telling her no.

“Chat, I know it’s a lot to ask, but please, trust me?” Ladybug asked it so sincerely, her blue eyes bright and imploring.

“Alright,” Chat said, putting aside all rational thoughts in favor of trusting his partner. Her plans always seemed crazy, but so far they’d all turned out alright in the end. Letting her dangle him from the rafters of the theatre wasn’t any more dangerous than jumping off the Eiffel Tower had been, and he’d managed to survive doing that.

So Ladybug secured her yo-yo around his waist and slowly started to lower him down towards the stage, where Hat Trick was taking a break from creating new fans in favor of actually performing magic tricks.

The problem with Ladybug’s plan, as it turned out, wasn’t the height, or her ability to hold him up. Rather, it was their having forgotten about one very crucial component of any stage performance: stage hands.

“Hat Trick! Watch out!”

Félix groaned as his attention was pulled to a man on the catwalk, dressed all in black and with a direct line of sight to where Félix was dangling.

Hat Trick looked up in surprise, then a gleeful smile overtook her face. Ladybug jerked her yo-yo and sent Félix flying, but she followed him down and caught him before he’d fallen far. They landed across the stage from the akuma, who had already drawn a new deck of cards. “I’m so glad you two could make it!”

“I’m not, if all you’ve got are card tricks,” Félix said.

Hat Trick sneered at him. “If it’s something new you’re after, then I’ll do something I’ve never even tried before,” she said, sticking her arm into her hat. She pulled her hand back, now clutching something that made him go pale. “Cutting you both in half!”

Hat Trick charged at them with an oversized saw, and Félix raised his staff to meet her strike with a _clang._ The saw wobbled when it met his staff, and he wobbled with it before finding his balance once more. Hat Trick pulled back to strike again, and Félix steadied himself to meet her.

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug called, and the pink of her magic illuminated the stage behind him, though Félix couldn’t see what she’d received.

“Ha! What do you expect to do with _that_ ?” Hat Trick scoffed. _Well that’s not a good sign._

Félix took the akuma’s moment of distraction to his advantage, and struck out with his staff. Hat Trick snarled at him, lunging forward once more, and the two of them were locked into battle once again. Félix could hear Ladybug moving around backstage, but he had no idea what she was cooking up with her lucky charm.

When Ladybug suddenly grabbed onto his tail and pulled him away from the akuma, he finally got a look, but he wasn’t sure exactly what had happened. One minute Hat Trick had been standing on the stage, saw in hand and hat on her head, then next she’d been yanked into the air as a sandbag fell to the stage, and was left dangling upside from her ankle, her hat settling on the floor with ease.

Ladybug grabbed the hat and ripped it in half, releasing the small black butterfly that had inhabited it. It wasn’t until she’d actually captured it that Félix registered their victory.

“Miraculous Ladybug!” she called, tossing up a red and black fold-up chair and releasing her ladybug swarms to heal Paris. She grinned as she returned to his side, fist lifted.

“Bien joué!”

Ladybug’s earrings beeped in warning, but Félix took her hand to keep her from dashing off just yet. “I’d been meaning to ask you, would you be willing to do a patrol of the city with me every now and again?”

Ladybug’s face turned red, and Félix released her hand. _Does she not like being touched?_

“I’d love you—love to! T-to patrol, I’d love to patrol, and if you were there that would be cool,” Ladybug trailed off, flinching like she expected him to be upset. _Is someone bullying her over her stuttering?_

“Great,” Félix said, giving her a smile in the hopes that it would make her feel less self conscious around him. “We could meet at the Eiffel tower tonight, after sundown, if you’re free?”

“Mhmm,” Ladybug said, with the oddest look on her face. Her earrings beeped again, and she jolted in surprise. “I’ll see you! Bye!”

She ran off, fleeing the theatre, and Félix turned towards the woman who had once been Hat Trick.

“Are you alright?” he asked, unsure of what he could say if she wasn’t.

“I...yes, I suppose,” she said, though she looked sad as she said it, looking down at her now mended top hat. “What happened?”

“You were akumatized,” Félix said, “Tried to put on a magic show.”

He nodded towards the audience, which was about half filled with confused Parisians. An impressive number, given the size of the venue.

“You still could,” said the man in black, coming out from behind the curtains. Félix didn’t know who the guy was, but the woman seemed to recognize him.

“Really? Here?”

“Sure. You’ve got an audience, after all.”

She beamed, and Félix took that as his signal to leave.

 

* * *

 

 Marinette’s hat was finished just in the nick of time, and she made it back to the school with only minutes to spare. The hard work was worth it though, both to be recognized by _the_ Gabriel Agreste, _and_ to get to best Chloé thanks to her attention to detail. All Marinette really wanted to do after being declared the winner was to bask in her victory, not even Adrien’s surprise allergy to pigeon feathers could put a damper on her accomplishment.

Alya’s meddling on the other hand. That could cause trouble.

“So... _Adrien’s_ going to wear your hat,” her friend said, something teasing in her voice that made it sound like she knew something Marinette didn’t.

“Yup,” Marinette said, eyeing her friend with suspicion. “In an Agreste Fashion photo shoot.”

“That must be pretty exciting for you,” Alya said, clearly needling at _something_.

“Alya,” Marinette said, “I’m not sure what you’re implying—”

“That you and Adrien would be super cute together, for one,” Alya said, shocking Marinette so much that she nearly dropped her hat box.

“What? Psh—no! What? You’re crazy, I don’t even know where you’re coming from with that,” Marinette said.

“Uh huh,” Alya said, not looking the least bit convinced. “So you’re saying you _don’t_ have a crush on Adrien?”

“Not the slightest bit,” Marinette confirmed.

“Then who _do_ you have a crush on?” Alya asked.

“No one!” Marinette said, in what she realized too late was the most unconvincing way possible. “Wow, would you look at the time, I should really be getting home now. Bye Alya see you tomorrow!”

Marinette fled, in a totally calm and dignified manner, and found herself leaning back against the wall of the school once she’d found her way outside.

“Are you alright, Marinette?” Tikki asked, peeking out from her chosen’s purse.

“I’m alright, just flustered,” Marinette said, “I _want_ to talk to Alya about Chat, but I just _can’t_.”

“I understand, Marinette. Keeping things from your best friend is hard, but until Papillon is stopped secrecy remains of the utmost importance,” Tikki said, her little voice surprisingly grave. But she soon brightened once more. “But just so you know, you can always talk to _me_ about it.”

Marinette smiled. “I know. Thanks Tikki.”

“You’re welcome!” Tikki’s smile was bright and infectious, and just what Marinette needed to cheer herself up.

 

* * *

 

 “What even happened?” Félix asked, eyeing Alix’s wreck of a derby hat while Kim laughed. _Is it even a hat anymore? Or just vaguely hat shaped?_

Alix glared at the lump of fabric that had failed to become a derby hat. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Kim only laughed harder, and Alix shot him a glare as well. Nathanael laughed quietly before whispering to Félix, “Alix has never sewn before, so she kept stabbing her fingers and she lost her temper.”

“Oh whatever. Derby hats are lame anyway,” Alix grumbled.

“It’s not _that_ bad, Alix,” Nathanael said. “Your hat has character!”

Félix wasn’t certain it qualified as a hat anymore, but he wasn’t sure how well Alix would take it if he said so. He was still new to having friends, and he didn’t want to mess up by poking fun at them in the wrong way.

“If by character you mean it’s attempting to be a pancake, then sure!” Kim said, earning a punch in the arm from Alix. “Ow!”

“At least mine doesn’t look like a flower field threw up on it,” Alix said.

“Hey, sunflowers are sophisticated!” Kim said.

“They are _not_ ,” Félix said, smirking a bit as Alix preened in triumph.

“Hey! Who’s side are you on?” Kim asked.

“No one’s. I’m supposed to be impartial, remember?” Félix replied.

“Then why are you only saying bad things about _my_ hat?”

“Alix doesn’t need Félix to tell her she did a bad job,” Nathanael said, “She’s got eyes, after all.”

“Hey!”

Félix smiled as his friends bickered. _I like having friends._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I certainly had fun writing it. The next two chapters are pretty much set to go, so I'll probably get those up sometime over the next week, but the future is still filled with possibilities, so if there's something you guys would like to see, just let me know, I'll do my best to work it in!


	4. Climatika

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone, for the wonderful comments! The reception of this story has left me floored, you guys are really amazing! As a token of my gratitude, have some LadyNoir! I hope you guys enjoy it, as I certainly had fun writing it.

Marinette had done some pretty difficult things since becoming Ladybug. Running across rooftops, jumping off the Eiffel Tower, fighting stone giants—all highly difficult and dangerous, and she’d done them all successfully.

None of these things were helping her now though, as she desperately worked to keep Manon under control.

“Look Marinette! I can do a cartwheel, just like Ladybug!”

“Ah! Manon, be careful!” Marinette rushed after the tiny little br— _angel_. “You can’t do cartwheels inside, okay?”

“Okay,” Manon said, ducking out from Marinette’s grasp and running off to wr—er, _play_ with something else. Unfortunately, that something else happened to be Marinette’s most recent work in progress.

“Wait, Manon!”

“I’m wanna be a fashion designer too, Marinette!”

“That’s awesome, Manon! But please be careful, that hat isn’t finished yet, and it’s not ready to be worn!” Marinette dove to try and catch her charge, but the energetic girl was gone in the blink of an eye. Marinette scanned the room, trying to spot where Manon had run off to this time.

 _Ah hah!_ There was something, some _one_ , hiding behind the curtains for sure! Marinette crept over, keeping quiet so as to maintain the element of surprise, then yanked open the curtains to reveal...a doll wearing her hat. _Drat._

“I wanna vote for Mirelle!” Marinette whirled around to see Manon holding her cellphone, and Marinette dashed over to her to reclaim it. _Why did I agree to this?_

 

* * *

 

Félix could handle a lot of things. An akumatized teenager? No problem. Free climbing the Eiffel Tower? Too easy. Making friends? Easier than he’d ever imagined.

Entertaining a bored Plagg? Actually impossible.

“Can’t we _do_ something?” the kwami whined, aimlessly flicking through the channels on Félix’s TV. “When was the last time you went outside?”

“Yesterday, to go to school,” Félix responded, glaring at the pages of his book. He’d been staring at the same page without actually reading it since Plagg had started up about how bored he was. He _refused_ to look up though, because allowing Plagg to win would only encourage this behavior in the future.

“I mean _really_ went outside! To do something _actually_ fun!” Plagg said, giving up his channel surfing to pester Félix in a more immediate way, by sitting on his book. The channel he stopped  on was playing some reality show competition, or the finale of one at least.

“Plagg,” Félix said, glaring at his rat of a kwami.

“Féeeeeelix,” Plagg dragged his name out as much as possible, looking up and pouting at his holder with big green eyes. Félix only glared harder.

“You’re in the way.”

“You’re impossible,” Plagg said, crossing his arms and turning away in a huff. Félix rolled his eyes at the kwami’s antics. Just as he was about to resort to trying to bribe the kwami for peace and quiet, the television screen erupted into pandemonium as what was clearly an akuma victim raged through the studio.

“You’re in luck Plagg, looks like we’ve got work to do,” Félix said, setting his book aside.

Plagg sagged in defeat. “This isn’t what I meant and you know it.”

“Plagg, transformez moi!”

 

* * *

 

Alya was the greatest friend Marinette had ever made. The girl had turned up unexpectedly to invite Marinette to talk about her ongoing Ladybug investigation, and had somehow managed to instantly bring Manon under control. It was more miraculous than anything she’d ever done as Ladybug, that was for sure.

Alya also had the idea of bringing Manon to the park, which was such an obvious solution to dealing with the rambunctious child it had Marinette kicking herself for not thinking of it on her own. Really, Alya was a godsend for helping with Manon, and Marinette was very grateful to have her as a friend.

“Oh, what a coincidence, Adrien’s having a photoshoot today,” Alya said, feigning innocence so poorly that not even Manon was convinced by it.

Marinette just wished her friend’s assistance hadn’t come with the caveat of Alya trying to set her up again.  

“Who’s Adrien?” She asked, scrunching her nose in confusion.

“He’s just a boy in our class,” Marinette said, trying to both glare an Alya and reassure Manon. It maybe wasn’t the most effective method of communication.

“Who’s _totally_ got a crush on Marinette,” Alya said smugly. Marinette sighed. She knew, logically, that Alya was just trying to be helpful with her crusade to get her on a date with Adrien. Alya genuinely thought they’d be cute together, and in another world, maybe she’d be right.

The problem was that Marinette had already _had_ a crush, and she didn’t really have much interest in Adrien. In theory, she could try to explain this to her friend, but she had yet to think of a way of explaining her crush on Chat Noir that didn’t give her away as being Ladybug, or else make her crush seem superficial. Letting Alya play matchmaker was the lesser of two evils, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating.

Luckily for Marinette, Manon had the attention span of a chipmunk on a caffeine high. “I want a balloon of Mirelle!” She said, pointing towards a man selling balloons of just that description.

“Sure thing, Manon!” Marinette said, lifting the child up to rest on her hip.

“You sure?” Alya asked, “I could totally take her.”

“It’s alright,” Marinette said, “She’s my responsibility and all. Thanks for the offer though!”

Marinette carried Manon over to the balloon vendor, breathing a sigh of relief as they waited in line.

The promise of a balloon kept Manon occupied right up until she got it, at which point she was further distracted by the carousel, which Marinette was more than happy to take her on.

Her plan was foiled by Alya though, who’d been scheming all on her own.

“Marinette! They need an extra for Adrien’s shoot!”

“Oh, do they?” Marinette said, “Huh. Manon wanted to ride the carousel though, so—”

“I can ride with her!” Alya said, moving to take Marinette’s place behind Manon. “You should go do the shoot, you’d totally be perfect!”

“I don’t know, Alya—”

“It’d be the perfect way to get your foot in the door of the fashion world,” Alya prompted, her voice just slightly smug.

When Alya was right, she was right. Being featured in a photo shoot with the face of Agreste Fashion would be _very_ good for her future as a designer, there was no denying it. With that in mind, Marinette decided that she may as well go for it. “If you and Manon will be alright…”

“I’ve totally got this, no worries, girl!” Alya said. As Marinette walked away she could hear Alya declaring that she and Manon would be traveling to a magical realm to grant unicorn wishes, and she smiled to herself. At least Manon would be entertained while she was gone.

Marinette was halfway across the park when everything went wrong.

Her attention was drawn to screaming, and Marinette whipped around to see girl blasting civilians with different forms of bad weather.

“Look out, Paris! Your new weather girl is here, and I am _always_ right,” her voice was dark as she spoke, the threat coming through clearly. But the obvious akuma wasn’t satisfied with simple threats, and in her rage she encased the entire carousel in ice. _Oh no._

Marinette ran for cover, and as soon as she was out of sight, she opened her bag so Tikki could fly out.

“Ready, Marinette?”

“Yeah,” she said, “Tikki, transformez moi!”

 

* * *

 

Finding the new akuma wasn’t hard, even though she was continuously moving around the city. All Félix had to do was follow the trail of destruction. Fighting her, on the other hand, was an uphill battle if ever there’d been one.

“Hey, Snow Queen, think you could lay off freezing everyone for a bit?” The akuma spun towards him with a glare, rage clear. _Maybe provoking her wasn’t the best idea…_

“My _name_ is Climatika!” She said, before pointing her parasol at Félix with a cruel grin. _Definitely a bad idea_.

The ensuing wind storm blew Félix halfway across the city, and he landed hard in the street a fair ways off.

“So much for cats always land on their feet,” came a familiar, teasing voice, and Félix looked up to see his partner standing above him. She held out a hand to help him up, which he gratefully accepted.

“Har har,” Félix said.

“Hmmm, I’m predicting hurricane level winds hitting Paris right _now_ ,” Climatika said, raising her parasol once more. Félix and Ladybug were blown right off their feet, along with half a dozen cars that had been parked along the street.

The two heroes rolled over each other for a good ten yards before the wind let up and they came to a stop. Félix looked down at his partner and noticed her face was almost as red as her mask. _She must be embarrassed about getting knocked around so easily._

Félix rolled off of her and reached out to help her up. He figured it would probably be best not to comment on her embarrassment, and instead nodded towards Climatika. “You got a plan for dealing with her?”

“P-plan?” Ladybug seemed dazed for a minute, but then she snapped back into action. “A plan! Yes, just lead my follow—er, follow my lead!”

Ladybug jumped away to run after Climatika, and Félix mirrored her on the other side of the street. _Here’s hoping this works_.

 

* * *

 

After nearly being crushed by a bus, Marinette was really getting sick of this akuma. So when Climatika popped up on television and revealed her location at the Kids+ studio, Marinette didn’t think twice about heading there. It never occurred to her that they might be walking into a trap, which left her holy unprepared to be plunged into darkness after Climatika attacked them.

Marinette couldn’t see her hand in front of her face, and her lack of vision coupled with her natural clumsiness left her stumbling around the studio like a newborn fawn. Really, tripping and falling was an inevitability, so she wasn’t surprised when her foot caught on something large and metal and sent her falling. She _was_ surprised when she fell into a person though, instead of the floor.

“You alright?” Chat asked, and Marinette realized that he’d caught her before she could go down.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine!” Marinette’s voice cracked awkwardly, and she cleared her throat before continuing. “I just don’t have light vision. Night Vision!” _Please let him not be able to see me blushing._

“Alright. Think you can trust me to lead the way then?” Chat asked, pulling back enough to let her stand on her own, though he kept ahold of her hand. Marinette didn’t trust her voice to speak again so she nodded, and let him lead her out of the room and after Climatika.

Running through the dark wasn’t fun in the least, but she trusted Chat to keep her from running into a wall, or tripping over debris. She had to focus hard on keeping her feet though, and not on how his hand felt in her’s. Climatika’s laughter was very helpful in keeping her on task.

“We’re heading up the stairs now, be careful,” Chat said. _Ah crud._ “Duck!”

Marinette dropped to the ground, flinching as she heard something metal crashing into the wall behind her. Chat pulled her forward again, and Marinette tried to find a rhythm for running up the stairs. Everything was louder in the stairwell, the sounds of footsteps and cackling amplified by their echos. It was a relief when they finally made it to the roof.

“Fools!” Climatika said, raising her parasol and calling forth a storm that would keep her and Chat from fleeing the rooftop. “You’ve fallen right into my trap!” Marinette was still relieved.

“You wish!” Marinette said, only realizing that Chat was still holding her hand when she moved to raise it. She decided raising her fist wasn’t all that important anyway. “In fact, I think Paris will be seeing clear skies again real soon.”

“Oh?” Climatika said, a wicked smile slipping onto her face. “That’s funny, because my forecast says things are only going to get worse!”

Climatika waved her parasol once more and sent forth a cascade of hail the size of golf balls. Chat tugged her down, releasing her hand so he could use his staff to deflect the ice raining down around them.

“I hope you’ve got a new plan, cause I won’t be able to keep this up for long,” Chat said, glaring at the akuma as she laughed at them once more.

“Lucky Charm!” Marinette shouted. The magic of the ladybug sent a burst of warmth through her, before coming together to form...a bath towel? “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“An umbrella definitely would have been more useful,” Chat quipped. Marinette glanced around the roof, the color fading from the world as Ladybug’s magic worked to show her a plan. _Ohhhh, now I get it._

“Chat, see that sign? I need you to bring a little _fall_ to this fight.”

Chat snorted a laugh. “Sure thing, Ladybug. Cataclysm!”

Chat darted off, dodging lightning strikes from Climatika as he went. “Your aim could use a little work, weather girl!”

Climatika snarled at him, but her anger did nothing to improve her aim, and Chat managed to destroy the supports for the sign without getting fried. Marinette stepped back out of range, and got ready to enact _her_ part of the plan.

When the sign fell back Climatika blasted a hole through it, and Marinette tossed her yo-yo to catch the akumatized girl by the ankle. As Climatika flew through the sign, Marinette darted through the ventilation on the rooftop, looping her yo-yo around the various structures for extra leverage. The sign had broken a vent cover when it fell, and with the aid of her trusty bath towel, Marinette propelled herself into the air flow, yanking Climatika down as she ascended.

After that it was a simple game of catch between her and Chat, a game which ultimately ended with Climatika’s parasol being snapped across her knee, releasing the akuma into the air.

“Je te libère du mal!” Marinette captured the akuma with ease, then released it once it returned to its natural state. “Bye bye, little butterfly!”

She finished the job by tossing her Lucky Charm into the air and shouting, “Miraculous Ladybug!” The ladybug swarms were quick to do their job, fixing the damage Climatika had caused to the city and dispelling the snowstorm that had been summoned to Paris. Marinette smiled as they flitted about, then walked towards Chat for their customary fist bump.

“Bien joué!”

“What am I doing up here?” Now that the akuma was gone, Aurore had been returned to normal, and that meant she now had no idea what had happened.

“You were akumatized, but everything should be okay now,” Marinette said, giving the girl a smile. Aurore’s face fell.

“I lost the competition,” she said, frowning down at her newly mended parasol.

“A minor setback,” Marinette said, “You’ll bounce back from this though.”

“How do you know?” Aurore asked, picking herself up off the ground. “What if this was my only chance to make my dreams come true?”

“You have to take the rain to get to the rainbow,” Chat said. Marinette raised an eyebrow at him, and he gave her a half shrug. Aurore seemed to latch onto the phrase though, and grinned brightly before running back inside.

“Where did that come from?”

Chat looked a bit sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck and looking anywhere but her. It was a pretty cute expression on him. “It’s something my mother likes to say, I think she picked it up in America. All this weather talk just brought it to mind. I guess it’s kind of silly though, huh?”

“Not at all,” Marinette said, grinning at him. She would have liked to keep talking, but her earrings beeped to remind her that she just didn’t have the time.

“We better get going,” Chat said, extending his staff. “See you next time, Ladybug.”

“Yeah, text nime, er, time next, I mean—” Marinette cut herself off with a sigh. That phrase just wasn’t going to happen. “Bye Chat.”

Chat smiled at her before he leapt from the building, and her heart spasmed a bit. _I’ve got it_ bad _, don’t I?_

Marinette shook her head and tossed out her yo-yo. She needed to get back to Alya and Manon before they started wondering where she was.

 

* * *

 

“Marinette!” Manon was ecstatic to see her babysitter back, safe and sound, and the small girl wasted no time running into Marinette’s arms. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“I’m glad to be back to,” Marinette said, hugging the small girl. She smiled at Alya apologetically. “I hope you guys were okay on your own?”

“Oh yeah,” Alya said, grinning down at Manon. “Manon was super brave the whole time we were stuck, isn’t that right?”

“Yeah!” Manon said, hopping down to walk alongside them. “Can I have a lollipop?”

“Oh, I don’t know, that’s a lot of sugar,” Marinette said.

“Besides, Marinette’s got something important to do!” Alya said, grinning. _Oh no, I forgot about that darn photoshoot!_

“Oh, Alya, I’m sure they’ve already found someone,” Marinette said.

“Nope, everyone ran away!” Alya said, dragging her closer. “Monsieur, I found your extra!”

“Wait! Who is that angel!” The photographer exclaimed. For a moment Marinette panicked, but then she realized that he was looking at Manon. “She’s perfect, would you mind if we did the shoot with her instead?”

“Not at all!” Marinette said, leading Manon over. “You up for being a model, Manon?”

“Yeah!” the little girl was all too excited to take pictures with Adrien, and Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. _Awkwardness avoided!_

 

* * *

 

After fighting so hard for nice weather, Félix decided to humor Plagg and spent the rest of the afternoon outside. However, just because he’d moved to the park, that didn’t mean he was going to do anything more than read.

Reading in the park wasn’t _so_ bad; there were children running around everywhere, but for the most part they kept away from the tree Félix had decided to sit under, and he could tune them out. Being in public also forced Plagg to keep a low profile, which meant Félix was actually able to do more reading than he likely would have done at home.

“You’re hopeless,” Plagg said, pouting inside Félix’s vest pocket. Félix smirked a bit, hopefully this would teach Plagg a lesson about pestering him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta da! As always, if you've got requests for certain scenes or episodes to be brought over, let me know down in the comments and I'll do my best to work it in!


	5. The Bubbler

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter! Hopefully you'll like this one as well, I took advantage of it being more Adrien-centric to share more about Félix's life, so that was fun. 
> 
> As always, thanks to everyone who leaves comments, kudos, or bookmarks, you guys are the best. I unfortunately will have to return to school this weekend, so future updates will likely return to being once a week, but I hope you've enjoyed the rapid updates of Spring Break while they lasted!

Marinette’s day had been going pretty great so far. She’d actually managed to get up on time, which meant she had time for tea with her Maman that morning. Then when she’d gotten to school, she’d found out that it was Adrien’s birthday, and after learning from Nino that Mr. Agreste had refused to let Adrien have a party, she decided that during break she’d make something sweet to celebrate, and hopefully cheer him up. It never hurt anyone to be kind, afterall.

When lunch break rolled around, Marinette was in a pretty good mood.

“Papa! Would it be alright if I made a mini cake during break?” she asked, greeting him with a hug as she slipped into the bakery.

“Of course, sweetheart. What’s the occasion though?” He was already pulling out ingredients, ready to help her out how he could.

“One of my classmates has a birthday, I thought it’d be a nice surprise for him,” she said, tossing on an apron so she could get started. Between the two of them, making the birthday cake was, well, a piece of cake! Once it was in the oven, Marinette went upstairs so she could actually eat lunch, and her father promised to take the cake out as soon as it was finished baking.

Marinette hummed as she made her way upstairs, greeting her Maman with a quick kiss on the cheek before sitting down to eat. “You’re in a good mood today.”

“I guess I am,” Marinette said, “It’s just been a really nice day, you know?”

“Well I’m glad to hear—ah!” Marinette spun around at her Maman’s cry, gasping in horror as she was snatched up by a giant bubble.

“Maman!” Marinette rushed to the window, helpless to stop her Maman being carried away, or to help any of the other hundreds of adults who were being carried away.

“Marinette, Papillon must have released a new akuma!” Tikki said, floating by her ear. “We have to transform, quick!”

“You’re right,” Marinette said, pulling away from the window. “Tikki, transformez moi!”

The magic of Ladybug rushed through her, a soothing balm on her nerves. She was going to find this akuma, stop them, and bring back the adults of Paris. _Easy peasy._

When Marinette dropped to the ground outside, she found that the air was filled with green bubbles, all reflecting the face of the akuma, who looked and sounded suspiciously like Nino.

“Congratulations, kids of Paris! I’m The Bubbler, and I’ve got good news for you! Starting today, there’ll be no more adults to boss you around! That means no more chores, no more homework—nothing but fun, fun, _fun_ from here on out!”

Marinette stopped at the sound of crying, spotting two younger kids with a teenager. She made her way over to them, placing a comforting hand on each of their little shoulders. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. I’ll make sure all the adults come back in no time at all.”

“Promise?” asked the little boy, scrubbing his tears out of his eyes.

“I promise,” Marinette said, before rising to look at the older boy. “Can you take care of them in the meantime?”

“Sure thing, Ladybug!” Marinette gave him a nod, then took a running leap and swung her way up to the rooftops. _You’re going down, Bubbler._

 

* * *

 

Félix was having a terrible day. For starters, his father was arriving back in Paris today, which meant Jules would need to go pick him up from the train station during Félix’s lunch break. This wasn’t the worst thing that could happen, now that he could transform into Chat Noir and get home that way, but Félix had always been frustrated by the way his parents regularly walked in and out of his life without notice.

When Félix returned home for his lunch break, the entirety of the house staff was in a tizzy to get ready for the return of Anton Lapointe. Busy as they were, Félix was fairly certain that they didn’t even notice when he slipped into the kitchen to grab lunch for him and Plagg. Which was fine by him, it wasn’t as though he usually spoke to them anyway.

Félix retreated to his room, which was the only place in the house no one would bother sprucing up for his father’s return. Plagg was more subdued when he popped out of Félix’s pocket to claim his cheese, likely because he could sense his holder’s mood, and decided that it would be best to leave him to his book for once. They ate in silence for as long as Plagg could manage  being quiet, which wasn’t very long, but ended up being longer than Félix had thought the kawmi capable of.

“So do they always get like this when one of your parents comes back?” Plagg asked.

“Only when they arrive with less than a day’s notice,” Félix said, turning a page without reading it. “So, yes, this is fairly standard.”

Plagg hummed. “Do you know how long he’ll be staying?”

“No idea,” Félix said, “It really depends on why he came back. Could have been for work, or because he got bored of German food, or because Mother yelled at him for being out of the country for two months, as if she has any room to judge.”

“So you don’t think he came back because he was worried about you staying in Paris by yourself?” Plagg asked, watching his chosen carefully.

“He never has before,” Félix said, then turned another page.

“There’s never been akumas in Paris before either,” Plagg said. Félix kept his eyes trained on his book, and took a moment just to breathe before he spoke, to ensure his voice was even and steady.

“I highly doubt that that’s changed things for him, assuming he’s even noticed them,” Félix said, shutting his book and standing up. “We should head back to the school now. I’d hate to be late.”

Plagg glanced at the digital clock that sat on Félix’s nightstand, likely making note that they still had half an hour to get back for classes, but he didn’t say anything, and instead flew back into Félix’s pocket.

It didn’t occur to Félix to wonder why the halls were suddenly conspicuously empty of people when he left the house. Nor did he notice anything off when he passed through the garden, his eyes hardly registering the abandoned hedge clippers that were lying in the grass. The empty streets of Paris did strike him as a _bit_ strange, it was a fairly busy city after all, but the quiet was nice, so he didn’t pay it any mind.

It wasn’t until he was swallowed up by a large purple bubble that he realized something was going on in Paris, and by that point there wasn’t much he could do but let it carry him to the Agreste Mansion, where he found most of his other classmates had also been gathered for...was this supposed to be a party?

“Alright dudes and dudettes, Adrien will be out any minute. When he walks through that door, I want you guys giving him the best birthday welcome anyone’s ever given,” the boy speaking was an obvious akuma, with his blue skin and garish primary color scheme. _This can’t be good._

Félix scanned the crowd, then made his way over to Nathanael. “What’s going on?”

Nathanael kept his voice low when he answered, “Nino got akumatized, he trapped all the adults in bubbles. You didn’t see that? Or notice when everyone went missing?”

“No,” Félix said, frowning, “There aren’t really that many adults in my house who are around enough to be missed.”

Nathanael made a face that seemed like a mix of horror and pity, and Félix shifted to hide his nerves. Had he send something weird? “What?”

“Nothing, just, that sucks, is all,” Nathanael said, shaking his head. The two fell silent, waiting with their other classmates. Félix knew he needed to get away, to transform, but he wasn’t sure how to leave unnoticed. _I need a distraction._

Just then the door to the mansion opened, and the group of classmates erupted into cheers, which Félix was quick to mimic. “Happy birthday, Adrien!”

 

* * *

 

Marinette found the Bubbler at the Agreste Mansion, hosting what was quite possibly the most depressing birthday party ever thrown. Bubbler had apparently gathered up her entire class for the party, and now had them held hostage. Everyone was clearly terrified, but doing their best to appear as though they were having fun. The only exception to this was Adrien, who seemed utterly oblivious to his classmates’ clear distress.

Marinette scanned the area for any sign of Chat Noir; she’d really rather not make a move without him there to back her up. She’d never faced an akuma on her own before, and while she no longer doubted her abilities as a hero, it was always good to have someone watching your back. _Should I wait for him?_

She looked back at the crowd, and at the miserable faces of her classmates as they danced. They were scared, but they didn’t seem to be in immediate danger, so she could probably afford to give Chat a few more minutes to turn up, right? _Tikki will know what to do._

Marinette leapt off of the building, releasing her transformation as she hit the ground on the other side of the wall Monsieur Agreste was attempting to pass off as an ordinary fence.

“Marinette, what’s wrong?” Tikki asked, looking at her holder with wide eyed confusion.

“Chat’s not here yet, and there’s no sign of him,” Marinette said. “I’m just a little worried about going in without backup.”

Tikki nodded in understanding. “I understand, but I’m sure he’ll turn up. You won’t always be able to wait for him though, unfortunately. However, you _can_ try calling him if you transform again, your yo-yo can also act as a communication device, and even if he isn’t transformed, Plagg will know we tried to contact him.”

“Plagg?”

“His kwami,” Tikki said, “We should get back out there though, before things escalate. Akumas are very unstable, and quick to anger.”

“You’re right,” Marinette said, “Tikki, trans—”

Marinette was cut off when she was pulled into a large bubble. “Marinette!”

Tikki had been floating just out of reach of the bubble, and Marinette’s eyes widened in horror at the realization that she was being separated from her kwami. The bubble quickly floated her down the street and through the front gate of the Agreste Mansion, before releasing her amongst her classmates. _At least it didn’t take me very far._

“Marinette!” the girl in question found herself engulfed in a hug from her best friend, Alya. “I was so worried about you girl, I’m glad you’re alright.”

“If you can call this alright,” Marinette muttered, trying to subtly glance back at the gate.

“Don’t worry girl, Ladybug and Chat Noir will be here any minute, I’m sure of it. Until then, we’ll just have to dance a little, keep Nino happy.”

Alya pulled her friend into the crowd, but not before Marinette was able to catch sight of the tiny red blur that slipped through the gate and then under the snack table. _Tikki_.

 

* * *

 

Félix wasn’t really a party person under the best of circumstances, and this particular party didn’t even come _close_ to them. _At least I’m not the only one who’s miserable._

It was a shallow comfort at best.

“Wow, Alya, I am just super parched, we should get some punch.” Félix turned to see Marinette attempting to drag her friend to the snack table, though he couldn’t imagine why. Moving away from the dance floor meant risking the wrath of the Bubbler, and the rest of the class had silently agreed that no snack was worth that risk, Alya included.

“Hey, why aren’t you dancing?” Félix turned around, realizing that in getting distracted he’d incurred that wrath himself. The akumatized teen already had one hand on his bubble wand, and was clearly one wrong move away from trapping Félix the same way he’d trapped the adults. _Think fast._

“I don’t know how to dance,” Félix said. This earned him confusion, but the Bubbler released his grip on his weapon.

“It’s not hard,” the Bubbler said, “Haven’t you been to a party before?”

“Not like this one,” Félix said. The Bubbler looked like he might have been insulted by that, so Félix rushed to explain further. _What does this kid want to hear?_ “What I mean is, I’ve never been to a party with other kids before. It’s always been galas or charity balls, filled with stuffy adults. So the only dancing I know is partnered dancing.”

“Man, adults are the worst,” The Bubbler said, and Félix breathed a sigh of relief as the akuma returned to his DJ stand. _That was close._

Suddenly the music changed, slowing down and gentling from the previous club beat. Félix looked up in surprise and the Bubbler winked at him. “Let’s slow it down a bit, party people. Everyone grab a partner!”

“Woah, Alya, wait!” Marinette abruptly crashed into Félix, and he brought his arms up to steady her. She gave him a sheepish look. “Sorry Félix.”

“It’s alright,” he said, “Should we dance?”

He flicked his eyes to the Bubbler, and Marinette followed his gaze. “I guess so.”

She glanced again at the snack table, but she put her arms on his shoulders and let him lead her back and forth in a swaying motion. It wasn’t _really_ dancing, but the Bubbler seemed happy enough with it.

Félix wanted to talk to her, to try and reassure her that everything would be alright, but he was starting to worry that maybe it wouldn’t be. Marinette was tense, glancing around the room constantly and biting her lip. Félix had never been this close to her for so long before, and it did funny things to his stomach that he tried not to think about.

When the soft song faded back into the upbeat club music Bubbler favored, Félix was both relieved and disappointed. The change in music meant a return to the awkward shuffling of before, and Marinette slipped off to the snack table. Félix slumped, only to tense up again at the sight of the Bubbler moving towards Ivan, who was stubbornly remaining a wallflower. _Not good, but…_

With a quick glance to make sure no one was watching, Félix slipped off and into the Agreste Mansion, sprinting to find an empty room to transform in.

“Well that was the worst party I’ve ever been to,” Plagg said, stretching as he floated out of Félix’s pocket. “And I’ve been to some pretty _awful_ parties.”

Félix rolled his eyes. “Plagg, transformez moi!”

 

* * *

 

After finally escaping from the dance floor, Marinette managed to get to the snack table and reunite with Tikki. She heard a shout behind her, and paled as the Bubbler trapped Ivan and sent him flying up into the sky. Thankfully this was enough of a distraction for her to slip out of the courtyard, but things had gone far enough.

“Tikki, transformez moi!”

After becoming Ladybug once more, Marinette returned to the rooftop. She scanned the courtyard one last time, taking in where everyone was before taking a running jump, tossing out her yo-yo to stop the music and landing in the center of the courtyard. “Sorry Bubbler, but this party’s _over_.”

“We’ll see about that, Ladybug!”

Her classmates ran for cover as she and Bubbler faced off. He threw bubbles of all colors her way, as she twirled her yo-yo and deflected or popped them. His colorful onslaught was unending, leaving her no time to do anything but defend herself as best as she could. _Chat, I hope you’re on your way._

Bubbler summoned a giant red bubble to aid him, and Marinette tossed out her yo-yo in an attempt to pop it. Unfortunately this bubble was made of sturdier stuff, and it sent her yo-yo flying back towards her at full force. She thought for certain that the weapon was about to hit her in the head, when a familiar black clad figure dropped onto the scene and deflected it.

“I hope I’m not too late to join the party,” Chat said, sliding into a fighting stance next to her.

“You’re right on time,” Marinette said, giving him a grin.

“Sorry you two, but this an invitation only kind of deal,” Bubbler said, “And _you_ weren’t invited.”

Bubbler hit them with another barrage of bubbles, but this time Marinette wasn’t alone, and between her yo-yo and Chat’s staff, the bubbled were easily deflected, or else burst into bubbles so small they were harmless.

“If that’s all you’ve got, you’ll be the most easily defeated akuma yet,” said Chat, giving the Bubbler a confident smirk that made Marinette’s stomach do a flip. _Focus Marinette!_

The Bubbler said nothing, but his smile said it all: he wasn’t finished just yet. The akuma snapped his fingers, and suddenly the bubbles she and Chat had deflected all came racing towards them, sticking to her arms and legs no matter how hard she tried to shake them off, and a quick look at Chat showed him in a similar position. As the small green bubbles grew in numbers, they also grew in size, until she and Chat were squished together into one large green bubble.

“Why can’t you dudes just let us have some fun?” Bubbler shouted. “You’re just as bad as the adults!”

“Adults aren’t bad!” Marinette said, glaring at him. “They keep their kids safe, and they love them!

Marinette felt Chat Noir tense beside her, but he remained silent. Bubbler, on the other hand, sneered and advanced on them.

“If you like adults so much, you can join them!” He gave the bubble a solid kick, knocking her into Chat as their bubble prison careened into the sky. _Oh no._

Marinette and Chat both kicked out, trying to pop the bubble, but to no avail, and they were only soaring higher, now nearing the tip of the Eiffel Tower. “Use you Cataclysm!”

“But we’ll fall,” he said, frowning at the ground. If they couldn’t find a way to catch themselves, they were done for, but that was a risk they were going to have to take.

“The longer we wait, the worse this will get,” Marinette said, “We’ll be alright, but we’ve _got_ to hurry, or we’ll be stuck here forever.”

Chat nodded, “Cataclysm!” The bubble popped the moment his hand touched it, sending them into a free fall. Marinette frantically looked for something she could throw her yo-yo at, but there was nothing. She needed to make a hold, _fast_ , or their stint as heroes was about to come to a very abrupt end.

“Chat, toss your staff!” She pointed towards the tower, grabbing his free hand as he followed her instruction. She tossed her yo-yo, praying that the staff would hold long enough to slow their decent.

The string went taunt, and Marinette swung them up just enough to avoid smashing into the pavement, then allowed them to swing gracefully down to the ground before giving her yo-yo a quick tug to retract the string and return Chat’s staff.

“Alright, I’m officially fed up with this akuma,” Chat said, just before his ring beeped to signal his new time limit. “Think we can wrap this up in five minutes?”

“Let’s shoot for three,” Marinette said, before leaping off towards the Agreste Mansion once more.

 

* * *

 

When Bubbler went down, Félix breathed out a sigh of relief. He’d been worried about running out of time, but they had pulled things off in the end. Ladybug held out her fist for their customary fistbump, and Félix met her half way.

“Bien joué!”

His ring beeped again, he was on the final paw pad now, so gave Ladybug a quick salute before running off to find somewhere private to detransform.

“Well that was exhausting,” Plagg said, slumping in Félix’s hand. “Why can’t any of Papillon’s villains do something nice, like make it rain Camembert?”

“I suppose even supervillains have _some_ taste,” Félix said, smirking as Plagg sputtered in indignation.

Félix had almost forgotten about his father’s eminent return by the time he made it back home, which meant he was caught completely off guard when he returned to find the man in question waiting for him at the dinner table.

“Félix! Good to see you again. I’ve really missed Paris,” said his father, gesturing for Félix to join him at the table.

“Welcome back, Father,” Félix said, taking his seat. “How was Germany?”

“Excellent, thank you for asking!” his father said, signalling for the staff to serve dinner. “I’ll actually be going back soon, but I needed to finalize some details with the company’s Parisian investors before going forward with our next project.” _No surprise there._

“Your mother mentioned you’d started school? How’s that going?” his father asked, then continued on speaking before Félix could actually answer him. “I’ll bet it’s been awful, that curriculum must be years behind what your tutors had you working on. I’m sure your mother will lose interest in making you go soon though, just try to bear with her a little longer, you know how she gets.”

Félix did his best to pay attention as his father moved back to business talk, never stopping long enough for Félix to make more than passing comments. Anytime his father asked a question, he’d answer it himself with whatever he assumed Félix would have said, then moved right along to whatever topic caught his attention next.

It wasn’t until dessert that Félix was able to make his escape, making an excuse about needing to do homework.

“Glad to hear you’re still taking this school seriously,” his father said, “It wouldn’t do to have your grades slipping, even if you _have_ learned it all before.”

When Félix made it back to the safety of his room, he took a moment just to breathe. Plagg floated out of his pocket, looking unsure about the whole situation.

“That was…” the kwami trailed off, clearly unsure of what adjective to use to describe the interaction he’d just witnessed.

“He’ll be gone again soon,” Félix said, moving to his desk and pulling out his homework. He didn’t speak again for the rest of the night.


	6. Pharaoh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay on this chapter, I was waffling on whether or not to include a certain scene (I did include it, so I hope that that was the right call). 
> 
> Also some of you may notice some subtle discrepancies between the names of certain Egyptian monarchs between this story and the show. The reason for that is because of some less subtle discrepancies between the show and actual Egyptian history! You can look it up yourselves if you're interested, but the long and short of it is that Nefertiti in reality was Tut's stepmother/mother-in-law, so I changed the 'Pharaoh' into her actual husband instead.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

Marinette dropped her head onto her desk as the video clip played over again. She’d  _ really _ messed up this time, dropping her textbook like that.  _ I’ll be the first hero in history to have her identity revealed by a textbook. _

“I’m sorry Tikki, I really messed up this time,” Marinette said, burying her face in her arms. “Maybe I’m not such a great fit for Ladybug after all.”

“Nonsense,” Tikki said, “One mistake could never outweigh all the good you’ve done as Ladybug. More importantly, there’s nothing we can do to change the past, so instead of dwelling on it, we need to start planning for the future. Alya can  _ not _ learn that you are Ladybug, so you need to get your textbook back before she can.”

“You’re right, Tikki,” Marinette said, giving the kwami a smile. “But how should I do it? Alya won’t give up that lead easily.”

“You need to convince Alya to go with you to see the Ancient Egypt exhibit at The Louvre with you, there’s something there about Ladybug that I think you’ll  _ both  _ find interesting.”

Tikki’s smile turned a bit cryptic, making it clear that she would not be elaborating further on her vague and confusing instructions. Marinette sighed. “Alright, if you say so.”

 

* * *

 

“Could Ladybug, the hero of Paris, be a student in Collège in real life?”

Félix sighed at the end of Alya’s latest video. “Why is she so determined to unmask Ladybug? Doesn’t she realize we’re safer when her identity is a secret?”

“If it bothers you, why watch at all?” Plagg asked between bites of cheese.

“To stay informed about akumas, obviously,” Félix said, “That’s the only thing this blog is good for.”

“Oh yeah? So it hasn’t got anything to do with Marinette asking if you kept up with her best friend’s blog?” Plagg asked, a teasing tone slipping into his voice. Félix glared at the little kwami.

“No. Don’t be ridiculous, Plagg,” Félix said. “I just don’t want to be caught off guard again.”

“You can lie to me if it makes you feel better, Félix, but I hope you’ll at least stop lying to yourself,” Plagg said, ignoring Félix’s increased glaring in favor of taking a large bite of cheese. Félix had noticed that his glares were becoming less and less effective on Plagg as time wore on.  _ Not that they did all that much to begin with. _

Félix was distracted from his nuisance of a kwami by his computer alerting him of a video call, and his annoyance faded instantly when he saw the caller. With a quick glance to make sure that Plagg was out of sight of his camera, he answered.

“Félix!” His computer screen was filled with the bright smile of his older sister, who he hadn’t seen in person in six months. She and her friends had decided to celebrate finishing university by taking a year to travel around the world, and while Félix was certainly happy for her, he definitely missed having her around. From what he could see of her hotel room, it was night wherever she was, though she was awake enough that he doubted it was too late. “What’s this I hear about you starting school? Why didn’t you  _ tell  _ me! I had to find out from Mom!”

Félix rolled his eyes at his sister’s pouting, but he couldn’t hide his smile. “You’re the one who can’t stay in the same time zone for more than two days, Allegra, I’m hardly to blame.”

“You could have emailed me,” she said, arms crossed and looking stern.

“It didn’t seem that urgent,” Félix said, giving her a shrug. “Is it really that big a deal?”

“Of course it is, Fe” Allegra spoke over the sound of a door opening, but she didn’t pay it any mind. “I want to hear  _ everything _ ! What’s it like? Have you been making friends? Do you like your classes?”

“Wait, is that your brother?” There was a sound of rushed footsteps, and Allegra was pushed out of the frame by an overly excited boy that Félix had missed significantly less in the six months since he’d left France. “Fefe!”

“Don’t call me that,” Félix said, glaring. 

“Claude! Get out of the way, I wanna hear about his school!” Allegra said, pushing her boyfriend out of the frame and reclaiming her spot on the bed.

“But he’s missed me so much!” Claude protested from off screen. 

“That’s a lie,” said a third voice, just before Allan took a seat next to Allegra. Claude sat on her other side, this time more calmly. “Good to see you again, Félix.”

“So! Tell me about all the friends you’ve made in school!” Allegra said.

“You get a girlfriend yet?” Claude asked, only to get an elbow from Allegra. “Or boyfriend! We won’t judge.”

Félix rolled his eyes as Allegra hit Claude with a pillow. “School has been fine.”

“An outstanding recommendation of public education from Félix Lapointe,” Allan said, grinning.

“Félix! I want details!” Allegra pouted again, and Félix gave her a fond sigh.

“I’ve been making friends, don’t worry.”

“I’m not  _ worried _ , I’m curious!” Allegra said, “Now tell me  _ everything _ !”

 

* * *

 

In retrospect, Marinette really should have pressed Tikki for more details before taking Alya to see the exhibit.

“Marinette, are you  _ sure _ there’s something about Ladybug in this exhibit? Cause I’m not seeing  _ anything  _ but boring old Egyptian stuff.”

“Totally! It’s there, I promise!” Marinette said, discreetly pleading with Tikki for help, only for the kwami to nod encouragingly at her.  _ Not really what I need, Tikki _ . 

“I dunno, Marinette, I think I might just be better off with the book,” Alya said, reaching into her bag for the textbook in question.

“No!” Marinette said, reaching out to stop Alya from pulling the book out of her bag. “Er, I mean, if I just showed it to you, you wouldn’t get the chance to really put your journalism skills to work. This is big, I promise, it’s just going to take a little extra work to get to.”

Alya raised an eyebrow, but she let go of her bag and returned her gaze to the hieroglyphics that Tikki had insisted held Ladybug related information, and Marinette breathed out a small sigh of relief. 

Her relief was short lived however, when she caught sight of the towering figure that had just entered the show floor.  _ Please be an actor. Please be an actor. _

“Tut, give me Time!” He called out, before his face shifted in a golden light, and he began dispersing large bubbles throughout the museum, trapping anyone who got to close into travelling at a snail’s pace.  _ Not an actor. _

Today just wasn’t Marinette’s day.

 

* * *

 

Allegra started yawning about halfway through Félix’s explanation of the hat competition Alix and Kim had had, which prompted him to ask where she actually was and what the timezone she was in.

“Oh, uh, we’re in Tokyo,” Allegra said, “But finish your story! It’s not that late, and I wanna know what happened.”

Félix frowned, doing some quick math in his head. “You’re eight hours ahead of me, which means it’s half past midnight. You should be in bed.”

Félix’s assessment was met with a chorus of groans.  _ And I’m the child here? _

“Booo!” Claude said, though he was starting to look tired as well, so his protest meant little.

Félix rolled his eyes. “As compelling as that argument is—”

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll go to bed,” Allegra said, shooting back her own eye roll. 

“You know Fefe, you don’t  _ have  _ to be such a stickler for rules,” Claude said, ignoring Félix’s glare. “You should branch out, try being less predictable.”

“I’m not predictable.”

Allegra snorted. “Félix, I love you, but you are the most predictable person I have ever met. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that you haven’t left your room even once today.”

Félix sighed.  _ If only you knew about Chat Noir. _

“Goodnight, Allegra.”

“What are Claude and I, nonexistent?” Allan asked, sounding more amused than offended.

“I wish,” Félix and Allegra said together, then smiled at each other as Claude and Allan sputtered in offense.  _ I miss you. _

“Bye Fe, I love you!” Allegra said.

“Bye Fefe! I love you more!” Claude said, before squawking as Allegra pushed him out of the frame again.

“Love you too, Allegra.” Félix ended the call, allowing the Ladyblog to dominate his computer screen once again.

“I didn’t know you had a sister.” Félix jolted at the sound of Plagg’s voice, turning to see the kwami hovering above his shoulder. Félix sent a panicked look to the screen. How long had Plagg been floating there? Had anyone seen him? “Oh relax, kwamis don’t appear on camera. How come your sister is in Japan?”

“She’s travelling,” Félix said, shrugging off his momentary panic. “She’ll come back to France in about six months.”

“Huh. She seems nice,” Plagg said, watching his charge carefully. Félix did his best to seem unaffected.

“She is,” Félix said, “But I haven’t seen much of her since she left for university. She and father never really saw eye to eye on her future, and he doesn’t like Claude or Allan, so she hasn’t really been home since she turned 18.”

“Hm,” Plagg said, and he might have said something else, but then the Ladyblog notified him of a new video, and Félix clicked to see what it was.

“This is Alya, coming to you live from The Louvre, where an akuma has just appeared! That’s right, I’m on the scene even before Ladybug and Chat Noir!”

The camera panned to a tall figure, whose golden head was switching between different figures from Egyptian mythology.

“Ooooo, I like the changing faces,” Plagg said. “You could use something like that.”

Félix glared at his kwami. “Plagg, transformez moi.”

The magic of the Black Cat washed over him, wild and dangerous and totally chaotic, everything Félix had never thought he could be before receiving Plagg. It felt right though, like this was who Félix was meant to be.  _ How’s this for predictable? _

 

* * *

 

Marinette loved Alya, she really did, and she tried her best to be supportive of her best friend, but her recklessness when it came to getting footage of akuma attacks was making being supportive quite the challenge.

As Marinette ran to find somewhere secluded to transform, she was already trying to think of ways to get Alya to be more careful.  _ Should I talk to her as Ladybug?  _

She didn’t have time to figure it out now, but as she opened her purse to let Tikki out she made a mental note to think it over later. “Tikki, transformez moi!”

The world disappeared in a rush of pink magic as she became Ladybug, and when the magic faded, she was ready to confront the akuma. She ran back to the gallery just as the museum’s alarm started to go off, and just barely managed to slip under the metal bars meant to stop thieves from escaping. The akuma had stolen both the hieroglyphics she’d been looking at earlier and the Pharaoh’s scepter. 

“Sorry, but I’m afraid this exhibit isn’t interactive, so I’m going to need you to put those back.”

“Insolent girl! You dare presume to give orders to the Pharaoh Akhenaten? Now that I’ve reclaimed what is mine, you’ll be the first to suffer my wrath.”

“Maybe if you were a  _ real _ pharaoh, but all  _ I  _ see is pawn in Papillon’s game of chess.”

Marinette charged the akuma, her yo-yo at the ready to trap him. She caught him in her yo-yo, pinning his arms to his side as she pulled the string tight.  _ Piece of cake.  _

“Sekhmet, give me Strength!” The Pharaoh’s golden head glowed, then shifted to that of a lion. He lifted his arms with ease, freeing himself and flinging Marinette into a wall.  _ Or maybe not.  _

Marinette carefully pulled herself off the ground, shaking her head as she shook off the blow. Her head snapped up when she heard a familiar scream.  _ Alya! _

The Pharaoh had lifted her friend off the ground and was now carrying her off. The museum bars were still lowered, but if he could throw Marinette around so easily, she doubted that a few steel bars would be enough to detain him for long.

“Hey! Let her go!” Marinette said, charging after the akuma as he pried open the bars.

“Hiding behind a civilian? I didn’t realize Pharaohs were such cowards.” The sound of Chat’s voice from the other side of the bars was a relief, but it didn’t last long. Chat charged the akuma, only to be grabbed from midair and thrown like a rag doll across the museum and into the sarcophagus that was the centerpiece of the exhibit. 

“Chat!” Marinette almost rushed to free him, but Alya needed her help first. Just as Marinette turned back to face the akuma though, he stepped through the bars and bent them back into place, trapping her and Chat within the exhibit.  _ Chat can break the bars, I just have to get him out. _

Marinette rushed to pry open the sarcophagus, trying to force the lid open.

Today  _ really _ just wasn’t her day.

 

* * *

 

“Bien joué!”

Marinette stepped back from Chat with a smile, which he returned.  _ He’s so handsome. _

The beeping of her earrings jolted her out of admiring Chat, which was probably for the best, as she’d been on the brink of staring just a bit too long. “Looks like I better get going.”

“I’ll see you tonight then,” Chat said. Marinette’s heart did something funny and she felt her face start to heat up, and she knew that if she didn’t get out of there  _ now _ she’d wind up doing something embarrassing. So she tossed her yo-yo and swung away, ignoring Alya’s rushed question about why she and Chat would be seeing each other that night, and the eyebrow wiggling her tone implied that she was doing.

Marinette stealthily made her way back into The Louvre, dropping her transformation as soon as she’d made it back to the Egyptian exhibit. She spotted Alya’s bag on the ground, and grinned to herself.  _ She’s really got to stop leaving this behind. _

Marinette grabbed her textbook, then ran out of sight, smiling as she did. She’d successfully protected her identity.

“Great job, Marinette. I knew you could do it!” Marinette smiled down at her kwami; the little being always knew just what to say to her.

“Thanks Tikki.”

 

* * *

 

After a long day of fighting an akuma and nearly losing her best friend, all Marinette  _ really _ wanted to do was fall into bed and sleep. But she couldn’t do that just yet, as she had patrol with Chat to get to, and there was no way she was going to miss seeing him without any akumas around. 

Tired as she was, she still managed to run across the rooftops to get to the Eiffel Tower, where she and Chat had agreed to meet for today’s patrol. She’d left a little bit early, but Chat still managed to beat her.  _ He’s so punctual! _

“Ready to head out?” Chat asked. His tail was flicking back and forth, something Marinette had come to notice it only did when he was feeling agitated.

“Yeah, but are you alright?” Marinette asked, shooting for casual. Chat slumped.

“That obvious?”

“The tail kinda gives you away,” Marinette said, giving him a smile. “Wanna talk about it?”

Chat shrugged. “Not sure how much I can tell you, since our identities need to remain secret.”

“Even if you can’t tell me everything, I’ll listen to what you can say,” Marinette said, speaking slowly to make sure she didn’t mess up her words. This was too important for babbling. “My papa always says that the best way to get rid of negative emotions is to talk them out with a friend.”

Marinette sat on the edge of the tower, letting her legs dangle over the side of the platform. Chat hesitated for a moment, but then he sat down next to her. For a moment they were both quiet, just watching the city as it lit up for the night. Under different circumstances, it’d be incredibly romantic.

“So...my parents aren’t around much. They’ve always been the types to prioritize work over everything else,” Chat said, his eyes trained on the ground below. 

“I’m sorry, Chat,” Marinette said, frowning. She couldn’t even imagine what her life would be like without her parents in it, because they’d  _ always _ been there to support and guide her.

“It’s alright,” Chat said, giving her a shrug. “Them not being around makes it easier to be Chat Noir. And even before that, it’s something I’ve gotten used to. But sometimes they get it in their heads to...be better, I suppose? More present? My father’s been on a kick about eating dinner together recently, and it’s…” Chat sighed, and Marinette put a comforting hand on his shoulder. She hated seeing him so upset, but she was glad that he trusted her enough to talk about this. Chat was big on keeping things professional, and she’d started to notice that he had a lot of walls up when it came to their personal lives.

“Have you ever had a one-sided conversation?” Chat asked.  _ All too often, before being Ladybug. _

“Yeah, it happened a lot when I was younger,” Marinette said, “I wasn’t very good at making my voice heard back then.”

“Well that’s pretty much the only conversations my father and I have,” Chat said, glaring at the ground with renewed force. “He’s been back for a week now, and we have dinner every night, but I’ve barely said ten words to him. Worst of all, I don’t think he even realizes it. And he’s  _ always  _ been like this, him assigning me opinions is something he’s done for as long as I can remember, but it’s been bothering me more now than it used to. Recently I started going to…”

Chat cut himself off, likely realizing that he couldn’t actually tell her what he’d started going to, and Marinette waited for him to gather his thoughts once more.

“I started making new friends,” Chat settled on. “You for one, but there are a few others too, and I don’t think my father would approve of any of you. He’s sort of planned out my entire life, and he talks about my future like it’s already set, and I just...I don’t think I want that future anymore, but I’m not sure what I  _ do _ want either.”

“You don’t have to be,” Marinette said, reaching out to give his arm a comforting squeeze. “You’ve got time to figure it out, and it’s better to have no plan than one that won’t make you happy in the end.”

“I’ve never not had a plan before,” Chat said, meeting her eyes for the first time. “What happens if I mess it up?”

“Well that’s what friends are for,” Marinette said, giving him a small smile. “We’ll have your back if things go wrong, and make sure you bounce back.”

“Thanks Ladybug,” Chat said, rising. He held a hand out to help her up, and smiled for the first time that night. “Ready for patrol?”

“Definitely,” Marinette said, taking his hand and returning his smile.


	7. Animan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this took so long, school has been keeping me incredibly busy as of late. I'm graduating in less than a month and I have a million and ten things to do in order to keep it that way. But I shall persevere! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and thank you to everyone who's left kudos, commented, and/or subscribed, y'all are my inspiration and motivation.

Marinette and her friends were currently gathered in her bedroom for a very important purpose, though Marinette wasn’t sure what the purpose was just yet. Her room, being the closest to school, was usually the most convenient place to meet for Girl Talk, but she hadn’t been the one to call them together. As Marinette looked at the girls around her, there was one person conspicuously absent from their group, which was surprising, given who  _ had _ called today’s meeting.

“So what’s up, girl?” Alya asked, looking inquisitively at Juleka. Juleka shifted, picking at her glove in a clear show of nerves. Marinette gave her an encouraging smile.

“It’s okay, Juleka, you’re among friends,” Marinette said, “Whatever it is you have to say, we’ve got your back, no matter what.”

“Thanks Marinette,” Juleka said, as the other girls nodded their agreement. The goth took a deep breath, then spoke in one rushed, hurried jumble, “Iwannaaskrosetobemygirlfriend.”

Alya scrunched her face in confusion. “We support you, but if you want us to help you, you gotta say that again, but  _ slowly _ .”

Juleka took another deep breath, and her voice was calmer when she spoke again. “I wanna ask Rose to be my girlfriend.”

“Awww,” Myléne said, clasping her hands in joy. Marinette nearly did the same, but her need to hug her friend won out.  _ Rose and Juleka would be so cute together! _

“Alright, Operation Julrose is a go!” Alya said, “How do you wanna ask her?”

Juleka slumped. “I don’t know. Every time I try the words just get stuck in my throat.”

“You just need some sort of grand gesture to do the talking for you! Something romantic enough that it can’t be misread!” Myléne said. 

“What are Rose’s favorite things?” Alya asked, her journalist face on.

“Cute things, and cute animals,” Juleka said quietly, a fond smile growing on her face. “Flowers and pink and romance.”

“The zoo has a botanical garden,” Alix said. “Why not ask her to check out the new panther with you, then take her to the gardens?”

“But how will she know that it’s a date?” Juleka said. “We’ve been there before, what will make this time any different?”

“She’s got a point,” Marinette said, taking a moment to stop and think things through. “The gardens will make a perfect romantic backdrop, but we’re going to need something a little  _ more  _ to kick the romance up to eleven.”

“Most romantic things ever, go!” Alya said. 

“Chocolates,” Alix said. 

“Poetry!” Myléne offered. 

“Sunsets over the water?” Juleka said, then frowned. “Wait, that won’t work.”

“Yes it will!” Marinette said, grinning as a plan formed in her mind. “Start at the zoo, go to the gardens, and then keep hanging out! You two can keep going to romantic spots all day, then when the sun is ready to set, take her to the Pont des Arts to watch it go down, and give her a lock with your names on it to hang on the bridge. No speaking required, but so romantic it’ll leave your intentions clear as crystal!”

“Marinette, that’s genius!” Alya said, grinning. 

“But what do we do all day before sunset?” Juleka asked, “How do I keep her from getting bored? Or figuring everything out too early?”

“That’s where  _ we  _ come in,” Alya said, her smile slowly slipping into her plotting smirk. “We’ll help you keep things going. For example, maybe I heard that Ladybug was at the Eiffel Tower, but I can’t go check myself, so could you guys  _ pretty please  _ go find out?”

“And maybe I messed up an order and made way too many macarons,” Marinette said, feigning innocence as she spoke, “So would you guys be willing to come take some off my hands?”

“Well  _ I’m  _ working on a mural of Paris’ landmarks,” Alix said, sounding proud enough that Marinette thought it might actually be true. “So it’d be a  _ really  _ big help if you guys could take some photos of the Arc de Triomphe for me.”

“And I want to start a garden,” Myléne said, grinning with excitement, “So do you think you can take some photos of the Luxembourg Palace Gardens so I can see what flowers look best together?”

Juleka’s smile was shy, but still bigger than the goth’s smiles usually got. “Thanks girls. You’re true friends.”

“Didn’t I say we’d have your back?” Marinette said, smiling. “Now then, text Rose to meet you at the zoo, because  _ we _ are gonna get you a girlfriend.”

 

* * *

 

When Max and Kim invited Félix to see the new panther exhibit with them, his first instinct had been to beg off. The only  _ Zoo _ he’d ever had any interest in was the Patterson book, and while he liked having friends, Kim had taken to trying to goad Félix into participating in an endless string of dares and contests, and only Alix had ever successfully put an end to it.  _ Actually… _

He grabbed his phone and shot off a quick text to Alix, carefully making sure that nothing was capitalized or properly punctuated, because if he included grammar in a text Alix would derail the conversation into mocking him. Again.

Alix responded quickly, saying she had plans with the girls, and Félix frowned. Maybe he could distract Kim from the dares with panther facts?  _ Maybe Plagg knows something? _

Félix’s phone started ringing, and he frowned to see that it was Alix who was calling, though he accepted. “I thought you hated talking on the phone?”

“Félix you gotta keep Kim occupied!” Alix said, ignoring his question. “It’s super important that he doesn’t go near the botanical gardens!”

“Why?” Félix asked. He could try, but he wasn’t very good at curbing Kim’s behavior, which he had  _ thought  _ that Alix knew.

“Because—”

“Don’t _ tell  _ him _! _ ” Hissed someone on the other end of the line.

“Well I have to tell him  _ something _ , Alya!” Alix hissed back, her voice slightly muffled. There was scuffling on the other end of the line, and more voices.

“What if he spills to Kim?” 

“Félix is cool, he wouldn’t do that!”

“Alix? What’s going on?”

“He’s a  _ guy _ !”

“Oh give me that!” The scuffling stopped, and there was a pause before a familiar voice spoke. “Hi, Félix. We need your help.”

“Marinette?” He paused as she made a noise of confirmation, then he continued. “What do you need me to do?”

“So, I can’t tell you why just yet, but we need to make sure Max and Kim don’t interfere with something that’s going on in the zoo’s botanical gardens today. It’s  _ really _ important. Will you help us?”

“Of course,” Félix said, ignoring the doubt he’d felt earlier. If it was important to Marinette, it’d be worth the trouble. 

“Great! Thanks Félix!” He could hear her smile in her voice, picture it in his mind as if she were right in front of him.

“You’re welcome,” Félix said. Knowing that he made her smile sent a funny feeling through his heart, and Félix decided that no matter what happened, it would be worth it to have made her happy.

 

* * *

 

Marinette’s parents had agreed to provide sweets for Marinette’s friends without hesitation, so she bid her friends luck and grabbed an apron. Her mother had decided that this would be a perfect opportunity to test out some Valentine’s Day recipes, because even though the holiday was still a month out, it was never too early to have a plan.

Marinette and her parents worked perfectly in sync, baking, decorating, and serving customers together. Marinette had also decided to make a batch of cookies for Félix as well, since he’d agreed to help out even though he didn’t know what was happening. She hoped he liked cookies.  _ Should I have asked Alix what his favorite cookie is? _

Marinette sent out a message to the group chat she and her friends were using to coordinate the date, making sure they knew the sweets would be ready to go in half an hour. Alya was at the zoo, providing Juleka with moral support and helpful tips through an earpiece, Alix was at the Eiffel Tower, sketching the tower and waiting to “coincidentally” run into her friends before sending them to the Arc de Triomphe, and Myléne was working on finding a special ice cream vender with Ivan. The hope was that she could convince him to visit the Pont des Arts that evening to surprise Rose and Juleka both with what Myléne swore was the most romantic ice cream in Paris. Marinette wasn’t quite sure how ice cream could be romantic, but she figured it would be a sweet way to end the night if Myléne could pull it off.  _ Heh, sweet. _

Alya responded to say that things were going great in the gardens, and she’d be sending them to the tower soon. Marinette smiled and set her phone aside, then focused on frosting cookies once more. Decorating cookies wasn’t quite the same as decorating clothes, but years as a baker’s daughter meant that Marinette had a nearly perfect technique, so her designs came out exactly as envisioned almost every time.

As usual, time flew by while Marinette was baking, and it felt like only a few minutes had passed before she’d run out of cookies to frost. When she looked at her phone she saw she’d missed several messages in the chat, but before she could check it the oven timer went off, and she dashed to rescue the next batch of cookies. 

She had just finished moving the last of the cookies onto a cooling rack when she heard the bell in the front of the shop ring, followed by the door slamming.

“Please, you’ve gotta help me!”  _ Kim? _

Marinette walked out of the kitchen and into the front of the shop, where Kim was currently attempting to barricade the bakery door.

“What’s going on, Kim?” her papa asked, though Marinette had a sinking feeling that she knew. She dashed back to her phone, opening up the group chat to find that while everything was going just fine for Rose and Juleka’s date (they were currently at the top of the tower, thank goodness), the zoo had been attacked by an akuma that had released all the animals on Paris, and Chat Noir had locked Alya into an empty enclosure with Nino.

Marinette glanced back at her parents and Kim, who was explaining about the panther he was getting chased by. Seeing as they were distracted, she popped open the clasp of her purse and looked down at Tikki.

“What’s going on, Marinette?”

“There’s an akuma, and I’m guessing it’s after Kim, so we’ll have to hurry and find Chat,” Marinette said. Tikki gave her a nod of assent, and Marinette checked one last time that she was out of sight. “Tikki, transformez moi!”

 

* * *

 

The zoo trip wasn’t the disaster that Félix had feared it would be. No, it was  _ much  _ worse.

Not because of his friends though. It was actually nice to hang out with them; Max had endless facts about the different animals and Kim had endless energy to spend trying to talk to them. They’d even bumped into Nino and Adrien, and Félix had been glad to see that the two of them were doing alright after Nino had been akumatized.

Things had been going just fine until they reached the new panther exhibit, where Kim decided that he could beat a panther in a race if he ever got the chance. Félix and Max both had objected, bringing up points about physics, hunting instincts, and endurance, but then the zoo keeper had gotten involved, and apparently Kim had really rubbed the man the wrong way, because even though the boys left without causing any harm, they’d barely been gone five minutes before they were confronted by a herd of very angry looking wild animals that were led by a talking panther.

“Split up!” Kim shouted, and the three of them bolted. The animals chased Kim, and Félix ducked behind a set of bushes so that he could transform.

“This is why cats should get more respect,” Plagg said, floating out of Félix’s pocket and stretching. “We’re apex predators you know.”

“Cheeses all across Paris are quaking in fear,” Félix deadpanned. “Plagg, transformez moi!”

The kwami was pulled into Félix’s ring in a burst of green light, and the magic of destruction rushed over him as he transformed into a hero. Félix raced after the animals, and the akuma, arriving just in time to keep Kim from being eaten.

The akuma roared at him, but Félix was able to keep it back with his staff. He glanced back at Kim, who was currently on the ground behind him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah! Yeah, totally,” Kim said, pulling himself up off the ground.

“We need to get you out of here,” Félix said, turning his eyes back to the animals around them. Most were hanging back, content to block off Kim’s escape while their leader fought with the humans. Félix frowned; there was no way for Kim to get past on his own, but he might be able to vault the two of them over the gathered animals. He just needed an opening.

The akuma roared again as Félix brought his staff down on its paw, then pulled back with a snarl. It circled the boys for a moment, before charging them at full speed. Félix grabbed Kim and extended his staff, propelling them over the animals. The akuma batted at the base of his staff, sending it flying out of Félix’s grasp. Thankfully Félix had gotten better at taking a fall, and he was still able to get himself and Kim safely to the ground.

Félix slipped a tracer into Kim’s hoodie and pushed him forward. “Run! Find a building to hide in!”

Kim didn’t need to be told twice, and bolted off, leaving the zoo behind. Félix turned back to the animals, charging back and jumping over and onto them, trying to be as much of a nuisance as possible. There was a lot of snarling and snapping, but he got through unscathed, and they chased him when he kept running.

The downside of this was that he didn’t have time to grab his staff again, and he was not only weaponless without it, but he also had no way to call Ladybug for backup. Félix didn’t have a plan, and he was really starting to miss his partner as he ran through the zoo. He’d only just managed to shake his pursuers when he was confronted with another problem.

“Chat Noir!”

Félix bit back a groan as he turned, coming face to face with the camera phone of Alya Césaire. 

“You should be hiding,” Félix said. Alya ignored him, and the stern look he was giving her.

“Can you answer a few questions real quick?” Alya asked.

“There’s an akuma.”

“Great!” Alya said, plowing on like he hadn’t spoken. Félix sighed. “So what’s the story on you and Ladybug’s relationship?”

“Help!” Félix turned just in time to see Nino running towards them, a gorilla chasing after him. He tried not to feel too relieved about a civilian in danger, but it was hard when the alternative was an invasive series of questions for the Ladyblog.

Félix grabbed both of his classmates and bolted, scanning their surroundings for somewhere he could safely drop the two of them off. His eyes caught on one of the empty animal enclosures.  _ That’ll work. _

Félix hardly even heard Alya’s protests as he shut her and Nino inside. Now he just needed to get his staff back and find Ladybug.

 

* * *

 

“Miraculous Ladybug!”

Marinette grinned as the ladybugs flew across Paris, repairing all the damage to the city and returning all the animals to their homes.

She turned to her partner, holding up her fist, only to be met with a hug instead. Marinette returned the gesture, though her brain was short circuiting. Chat Noir was hugging her. Why was he hugging her? Not that she minded. Chat was warm and he smelled nice, like leather and soap. Marinette prayed that he couldn’t feel how fast her heart was beating.

“C-c-chat?”

Chat tensed, then pulled back with a sheepish look on his face. “Sorry, that was unprofessional. I just...I’m glad you’re alright.”

Marinette smiled, even as she felt her face start to heat up.  _ He was worried about me.  _ “You’re fine—it’s fine! I’m sorry I worry you made, er, made you worry.”

“Don’t be,” Chat said, giving her a smile. “You had a good plan, I just couldn’t see it past all those teeth.”

Marinette giggled, then startled as her earrings beeped at her in warning. “We better head out.”

Chat nodded, and they both launched themselves up onto Paris’ rooftops before splitting off into different directions.

Marinette made a quick loop around the block before dropping out of sight behind the bakery. She dropped her transformation and allowed herself a moment to let out her excitement as Tikki watched her with a fond smile.

Marinette took a breath, recomposing herself as best as she could before slipping back into the bakery. She was just able to beat her parents and Kim to the front of the shop, which meant she was able to play off her absence as her being hidden in the pantry.

Her parents fussed over her and Kim for a bit, but akuma or no they still had work to do, so they left the teens to their own devices when Kim said he needed to get back to the zoo to find his friends. 

“Hey, Kim, do you happen to know what Félix’s favorite cookie is?” Marinette asked. Kim looked surprised at the question, but he didn’t ask why she wanted to know.

“I don’t think he eats a lot of sweets, but I know he likes cheese,” Kim said. “Sorry if that’s not very helpful.”

“No, it is!” Marinette said, already thinking of the cheese danishes her father made every day. “Thank you, Kim.”

“You’re welcome. See you in school, Marinette!”

“Bye Kim!” Marinette said, waving his off. She felt her phone start to vibrate, and she pulled it out to check on what she’d missed in the group chat. Juleka and Rose were about ready to head over, and Alya apparently had some major news to share later. She decided to check in on the sweets one last time before calling Juleka, just to make sure everything had survived the akuma attack.

 

* * *

 

Félix got to school a little later than usual the next morning, but he was still early by the standards of his classmates. Max and Kim waved at him as he passed them, and he returned the gesture before taking his seat and pulling out a book. His quiet was briefly interrupted by some excited chatter when Rose and Juleka came in, though he wasn’t sure what warranted it, since the two looked just the same as ever to him.

His reading was interrupted again a few minutes before class was set to begin, though this time much more politely.

“Good morning, Félix!” Marinette said, holding a box and giving him a big smile. “I just wanted to thank you again for helping out yesterday.”

“You’re welcome,” Félix said, though he wasn’t sure he did much of anything. “Did everything go smoothly then?”

“Yeah! It went great!” Marinette looked towards Rose and Juleka, and when Félix followed her gaze, he noticed something he’d missed earlier; the two girls were holding hands. “Anyhow, I wanted to give you these, as a thank you.”

Marinette held out the box, and Félix took it. The top was inscribed with the logo of her parents’ bakery, and when he peeked inside he saw half a dozen fluffy cheese danishes. Plagg wiggled excitedly in his pocket, and Félix shut the box.

“Thank you, Marinette. I can’t wait to try them.” 

Marinette smiled at him before making her way to her desk. Félix focused on the box in front of him to avoid staring after her, though he couldn’t help the small smile on his face as he tucked the box into his book bag. Félix didn’t have very much experience with sweets, his mother had always barred them from the house, but he was excited to try some, and he was glad that Marinette had been thinking of him.

Later on, when he’d gone home for lunch and he and Plagg had tried the danishes, Félix decided that he would have to start making regular trips to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Plagg was happy to encourage the idea, and also declared his full support of Marinette becoming a regular part of their lives.

Félix had rolled his eyes at the kwami, but he didn’t argue about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta dah! Now as I mentioned, college is keeping me super busy lately, so I can't give any sort of eta for when the next chapter will be up, but I do have a plan for it, it's been started, and I'm probably going to start working on it as soon as I get this chapter up (instead of doing my homework, whoops).
> 
> Stay tuned though! Because next up in Evillustrator, and I'm fully anticipating that it's gonna be real fun.


	8. Evillustrator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! So this was fun, and didn't take as long because of it. XD I hope you guys enjoy it! I know this chapter has been something that many of you have been excited about for awhile now. The next episode may take a bit longer, I've got more planning to do for it (as it's another original akuma) and more than that I'm going to be very busy over the next few weeks, but I graduate on May 11th so soon I'll be free of all schoolwork.
> 
> Thanks again to everyone who's left kudos, commented, bookmarked, and subscribed, you're all my favorite people.

Félix had been going to school long enough that he’d grown fairly accustomed to Nathanael occasionally working on his comics during class. His friend had a tendency to grow overly absorbed in drawing, and if a lesson was particularly boring, he’d usually fall back on sketching to pass the time. This wasn’t usually a problem, since Félix didn’t mind sharing his notes or explaining whatever concept they’d gone over that day. But then again, usually it only happened in Madame Bustier’s class; Mendeleiev's class was a different matter entirely.

Félix didn’t have any issues with Madame Mendeleiev, but she was strict, no nonsense, and had eyes like a hawk when it came to spotting students who weren’t paying attention. The consequence of that was that she’d occasionally rework the seating arrangements of the class whenever she felt that a pair was being too disruptive, and after catching Rose and Juleka passing notes a few too many times, she’d had Félix and Juleka swap seats.

Rose was nice enough, if a little bit chatty, but the real problem was that Félix was no longer able to keep Nathanael on task, so it was only a matter of time before Mendeleiev caught him sketching and sent him to the principal's office.

Félix frowned as his friend tripped on his way out of the classroom, though his expression deepened to a glare when Chloé snatched Nathanael’s notebook off the floor and started mocking it.

“Oh and look! He’s _totally_ got a crush on you, Marinette!”

Nathanael grabbed his book and fled, and Félix was torn between worry for his friend, anger at Chloé, and a small, bitter feeling that he recognized as jealousy but didn’t want to acknowledge.

He didn’t have long to dwell on it though, because Madame Mendeleiev was already moving on and handing out group assignments for their physics presentations.

“The first group will Ivan, Kim, and Max,” Mendeleiev said. “Mylène, Alix, you’ll be with Nathanael. Then Félix, Rose, and Juleka will be a group.”

Rose let out an excited squeak, though she cut herself off quickly at Mendeleiev’s glare. “Sorry.”

“The next group will be Alya, Adrien and Nino,” Madame Mendeleiev continued. “And lastly Marinette, Chloé, and Sabrina.”

Félix felt a pang of sympathy for Marinette, but after Chloé’s failed attempt to get Marinette assigned to a new group he resigned himself to not being able to help her.

The bell rang, and Juleka made her way over to him and Rose, who was already bursting with excitement. “Eeee, this is so exciting! I’m so glad we get to work together!”

Rose latched onto Juleka’s arm, and the goth’s face turned a deep shade of red, though she smiled at the attention and mumbled something that Félix couldn’t hear. Rose giggled though.

“Should we head to the library to get started?” Félix asked, gathering up his things.

“Sure!” Rose said, gathering her own things and leading the way out of the classroom. “Oh! Félix, would you mind if I decorated our project a bit? I know some boys don’t really like decorations.”

Félix shrugged. “As long as the presentation is still accurate and readable I don’t really mind. Stick whatever you want on it.”

“Really?” Rose asked, an excited glint in her eye. “Even glitter?”

“Sure.”

Rose let out an excited squeal, though Félix wasn’t really sure what the big deal was. Juleka smiled at him, then turned her eyes onto Rose with a dreamy sigh. The blonde girl chatted all the way to the library, about pink paper and drawings and six different kinds of stickers that Félix had never even heard of, but she got serious when they reached the library. When they split up to collect books to help with their project, Félix felt confident that the three of them would do a good job.

His research was interrupted by Chloé shrieking, not particularly unusual, but then he heard what sounded like a hair dryer. When Félix peeked out from behind the shelves, he saw that Chloé was actually being chased by a giant hair dryer. _Looks like an akuma with a sense of irony this time._

Félix was almost tempted to walk away, since Chloé probably deserved whatever was coming her way, but the library was being wrecked in the process, and that seemed less allowable.

Félix ducked out of sight and peeked into his pocket, meeting green eyes. “Plagg, transformez moi!”

 

* * *

 

Marinette had put up with a lot of awful for the sake of protecting Paris. She’d literally jumped into the mouth of a T-Rex last week. But _Chloé Bourgeois_ was more than she could handle.

“Are you alright?” Chat asked, pulling her aside while Chloé fawned over her phone. “You seem a little...tense.”

“I’m fine, I just—” Marinette cut herself off with a frustrated noise, crossing her arms and trying not to pout. She happened to glance down, and noticed a sketchbook page with a couple of very familiar faces, plus a few edits she was certain had been made by Chloé. Marinette snatched the sketch, glaring so hard that she was almost expecting a hole to be burned through it.

“You know, I can hold down the fort here, if you wanna go try and find the akuma,” Chat said, looking nonchalant. “I’ll call you if he turns up here.”

Marinette’s anger vanished, replaced by a sudden rush of affection for her partner. “T-thanks Chat. I’ll let you find if I know something. I mean, fow if I kind, I—ugh.”

“I know what you mean,” Chat said, giving her a smile that sent her heart fluttering. “You should hurry though, before she tries to take more selfies.”

Marinette nodded, then marched out of Chloé’s room and jumped off the balcony without hesitation, ignoring Chloé’s call of farewell.

Marinette didn’t know what she’d do without Chat Noir. He was just so kind and considerate, and he was so good at reading her, no matter what he said about being bad with people. When she made it back to her room she collapsed onto her chaise with a sigh. She’d just take a minute to herself, then she’d check the Ladyblog for any news on the akuma.

“Are you alright?” Tikki asked, floating out of Marinette’s purse.

“I’m alright, Tikki,” Marinette said. “Chloé’s just, ugh, _Chloé_. But Chat…” Marinette trailed off with a sigh, hugging one of her throw pillows to her chest.

Tikki gave her an indulgent smile, before letting out a panicked squeak and diving into Marinette’s purse. Marinette looked at the bag in concern and confusion, but before she could question anything she spotted something moving in the corner of her eye, and looked up to see that her window was being _erased_.

Marinette tensed as the akuma stepped into her room. _Oh dear._

 

* * *

 

Félix didn’t regret telling Ladybug that she could leave him to watch over Chloé. His partner had clearly been bothered by the other girl’s oblivious fangirling, and he wouldn’t subject her to that to spare himself from it. However, he _did_ regret promising he’d stay to keep watch. Whatever the akuma was doing, he was apparently content to leave Chloé alone, and watching her was starting to feel like needless torture.

“Chat Noir,” Chloé had snuck up behind him and latched onto his arm, and was adding a flirty lilt to her voice. _Oh god no._ “Do you know anything about particle physics?” _Wait, what?_

“ _Why?_ ”

Chloé pouted at him in a way that he assumed she thought made her look cute. “I’m just having so much trouble with this project, and my lousy group mates aren’t contributing at _all_. Be my hero and help me out?”

Chloé batted her eyelashes at him, and Félix couldn’t help but physically recoil. “Absolutely not.”

“What!” Chloé stamped her foot in outrage, but Félix was saved by the trill of his communicator ringing.

“I have to take this,” Félix said, fleeing to the balcony and accepting the call. “Please tell me you’ve found something.”

“You’re in luck, Chat Noir,” Ladybug said, “You can leave Chloé’s place now, she’s out of danger.”

“Really? How’d you pull that off?”

“Well it turns out our akuma has crush, and he agreed to leave Chloé alone for her sake,” Félix’s communicator pinged, and he pulled back to see that he’d gotten a photo. Of _Marinette_ . “This is her, Marinette. C-cute right?” Ladybug paused for a moment, and Félix fought the urge to agree with her. _Be professional_. “She’s agreed to help set a trap to capture the akuma by going on a date with him tonight, and I need you to shadow them and capture the akuma. Think you can handle that?”

“Yes, but what about you?” Félix tried to keep his slight panic out of his voice. There was no reason for him to be so worried over a girl he didn’t know, and he knew that as Chat Noir, he had to treat Marinette as such.

“Ah, I’m going on a very secret mission. Will you be alright on your own?”

_I hope so._ “I’ll manage. And I’ll keep Marinette safe. Good luck, Ladybug.”

“You too.” Félix ended the call with a sigh.

“Well?” Chloé demanded, one hand on her hip and the other holding her physics project.

“Good news, Chloé, it seems that you’re out of danger, so I’ll be on my way now.”

“But what about my project!”

Félix ignored Chloé’s protests in favor or jumping off of her balcony. He needed to go find Marinette and go over the plan with her.

When he arrived at Marinette’s she was standing outside, talking with a very angry looking Sabrina. Félix wasn’t sure what had set the redhead off, since Marinette was one of, no, _the_ sweetest person he’d ever met. Then he heard Sabrina compare Marinette to _Chloé_ , of all people, and decided that whatever it was must have been ridiculous and unfounded. Félix was about two seconds away from giving up on professionalism and chewing the girl out when she stormed off on her own, and he took a deep breath before dropping down in front of Marinette and leaning back on the wall next to her.

“Are you alright?” Félix asked, and Marinette jumped a bit at his sudden entrance. _Whoops_. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“I-it’s alright,” Marinette said, her voice quiet and shy. “A-and so am I, I just, I’m s-supposed to do a project, but the a-akuma…”

Félix felt a pang of guilt. He felt awful that they were using Marinette as bait for an akuma; he didn’t know what Ladybug had said to get his classmate to agree to this plan, but she was clearly nervous about it.

“Thank you for agreeing to help,” Félix said, watching her carefully. “It’s very brave of you.”

“I, er, you really think so?” Marinette was blushing slightly, and Félix felt his heart stutter over how cute she looked.

“Definitely,” he said, smiling at her. “I’ll be there the whole time too, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you, I promise.”

Marinette’s face got even redder, and Félix had the sudden urge to test just how much he could make her blush as Chat Noir. _No. That’s not professional._  “I trust you.”

If Félix hadn’t been leaning on the wall, he might have fallen over. “Good. I’m going to need your help though.”

“What do you need me to do?” Marinette seemed to shrink a bit, and Félix pushed himself off the wall before he could really think about it. He didn’t like that vulnerable look on Marinette. _But how to get rid of it?_

“I need you to try and get the akuma’s drawing pen away from him,” Félix said, leaning on the door frame as he spoke. Marinette’s blush had faded a bit, but it was back in full force now. “You’ll have to be clever about it, if you’re too obvious it could set him off, but I know you can do this.”

Marinette let out a squeak, and Félix realized that he’d been unconsciously leaning towards her. He pulled back, silently scolding himself for invading her space like that. Marinette’s face was redder than ever, and Félix worried that he might have gone too far, but then she nodded and gave him a small smile. “Right. Get the pen. I can do that.”

“Just be careful tonight, alright?” Félix said. He didn’t want to make her nervous again, but he didn’t want to leave her unprepared, either. “Akumas are volatile and difficult to predict, and their moods can shift at the drop of a hat. I’ll be there to keep you safe, but don’t feel as if you need to put yourself at risk in order to get the pen. Ladybug and I can figure something else out if we need to, so your safety is the number one priority tonight, okay?”

“O-okay,” Marinette said. She’d wrapped her arms around herself, and she looked so small, but she smiled at him, so Félix hoped that meant she’d be alright. _I need to leave, or I’m going to do something stupid._

“I’ll see you tonight,” Félix said, giving her a mock salute before bounding off.

 

* * *

 

Marinette had not intended to be nervous tonight, but her talk with Chat Noir had left her a flustered, jumbled mess. She’d expected that he’d treat her differently as Marinette than he would as Ladybug, but she had _not_ expected him to so charming. _Like a prince from a fairy tale._

When sunset came and Marinette made her way to the docks to meet Nathanael she’d mostly managed to calm down, but every time she thought of Chat her heartbeat picked up and her face got flushed all over again. She could only hope that Nathanael didn’t notice, or at least, that he would write it off as her being nervous about their date.

“Okay, okay! I’ll get them!”

“Nathanael?” Marinette watched the boy uncertainly; he seemed to be talking to no one, but he was grabbing his wrist in pain. She thought she saw a flash of purple around his eyes though. _Can Papillon harm akumas who fail to cooperate?_

“Marinette!” Nathanael brightened at the sight of her, then hopped down to help her board the boat and show her what he’d created. Marinette couldn’t deny that everything was beautiful, and she didn’t have to fake her awe at the scene Nathanael had set. He had commandeered a boat and decorated it with live plants and a fully lit miniature of the Eiffel Tower, plus a bench for them to sit on so they could watch the stars. She was just starting to think that this wouldn’t be so difficult after all when Nathanael let out an angry snarl.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

Marinette froze. Hadn’t everything been fine? Had she done something to set him off? Nathanael noticed her nervous staring, and gave her a sheepish look, his anger completely vanished. _Right. Volatile._

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just can’t draw in the dark.” _Is that so?_

Marinette filed the information away for possible use later, while Nathanael drew a large ball of light overtop of his miniature Eiffel Tower. Marinette took a seat on the bench while Nathanael set the boat in motion. As they floated down the Seine he came to sit next to her, and he used his drawing pad to create musical notes that came to life as a song.

Everything was at peace for the time being, but Marinette kept her eyes peeled for any signs of Chat Noir. She couldn’t enact her plan until Chat arrived, but she had managed to come up with something that would hopefully do the trick. A flash of movement caught her eye, and she very subtly glanced to the right, where she could see Chat racing across the rooftops to catch up with their boat. Nathanael was too focused on his drawing to notice, and Marinette carefully split her attention between making sure he stayed distracted and keeping track of Chat Noir as he moved ahead of them, finally dropping completely out of sight as the boat neared a bridge. _Clever kitty_.

Marinette barely saw Chat dropping onto the boat as they passed under the bridge, but she knew that he had. So she turned to Nathanael and reached over for his pen, pausing the music. “Would it be alright if I drew you something, for your birthday?”

For a moment, she was certain that Nathanael was going to let her have it, but then something caught his eye and he tensed, and Marinette realised that Chat had gotten too close, and his reflection was visible on the drawing pad.

“Marinette, let go of my pen, I need to draw something.” _Now or never._

“No,” Marinette said, pulling the pen out of his grasp and jumping off the bench. Nathanael rose in shock, only to be blocked by Chat Noir’s staff. Nathanael snarled again, his eyes hard and angry and hurt, and Marinette fought not to flinch back. _I am Ladybug, and I am not afraid an akuma._

“I thought you were different, but I was wrong. You’re just as bad as Chloé!” Nathanael snarled at her. Marinette groaned.

“ _Seriously_ ? Why is everyone comparing me to _Chloé_ tonight?”

Marinette made the mistake of taking her eyes off the akuma, and he took the opening to use Chat’s staff to knock the pen from her hands. In the blink of an eye Nathanael had the pen again, and when Chat charged after him, her partner was met with a large glass box that trapped them both.

Nathanael gave a wicked grin, drawing and erasing something on his tablet that made the boat shift and begin to sink. “Why don’t you two take a swim while I pay Chloé a proper visit!”

Chat slammed his staff against the walls that trapped them, but it made no difference. Nathanael laughed before he left, and Marinette forced away her panic so that she could take stock of the situation. _The boat is sinking, and we’re in a box with unbreakable walls._

Chat was looking between his hand and the wall, probably considering using his Cataclysm. But if he did that he’d only have five minutes, and saving Chloé would probably take a little longer than that. Marinette glared at the deck— _the deck!_

“Chat, use your staff!” Marinette pulled it into position as she spoke. “Now extend it!” For a moment Chat frowned, but then his eyes widened as he made the connection too. The box had no bottom.

“Hold on,” Chat said, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her against him. Marinette felt her face go red, but she managed to wrap her arms around his shoulders anyway. Chat extended his staff and lifted them and the box away from the sinking ship, and before she knew it they were both safely on dry land once more.

“Are you alright?” Chat asked, letting go and stepping back. Marinette didn’t trust her voice just yet, so she only nodded. Chat Noir looked after Nathanael, then back at her.

“Y-you should g-go,” Marinette said, nodding in the direction Nathanael had gone.

Chat frowned. “Will you be able to get home safely?”

“Yeah! I, uh, I’ll be alright. D-don’t worry,” Marinette smiled at him, and he gave her a quick nod before running off after the akuma.

Marinette let out a wistful sigh, and Tikki giggled as she floated out of Marinette’s bag. “He’s such a gentleman, Tikki.”

“Maybe, but I have a feeling he’s still going to need your help,” Tikki said.

Marinette shook her head to clear her thoughts. “You’re right. Tikki, transformez moi!”

 

* * *

 

“Bien joué!”

Félix’s ring beeped to remind him of his time limit, so he gave Ladybug a quick nod and then left. He trusted Ladybug to help Nathanael, and he knew he’d be better suited to check in on his friend tomorrow, instead of as Chat Noir. Besides, there was someone else he needed to check on tonight.

Félix dropped into an alleyway and released his transformation, catching Plagg in one hand and fishing out his container of Camembert with the other.

“Oh I can’t go on, the hunger is too much, I’ll wither away for—why are we in an alleyway?”

Félix rolled his eyes. “Eat your cheese. I want to make sure Marinette got home.”

“Oh? Are you going to try winning her over as Chat Noir? I can see why, we cats are so much more appealing than humans,” Plagg said before digging into his cheese.

“I’m just checking in on her,” Félix said, glaring at a wall instead of looking at his kwami. “I had to leave her to walk home on her own, I need to make sure she made it back alright.”

“You don’t _need_ to.”

“She’s had a rough night, I want to make sure she’s alright.”

Plagg flew in front of his face and grinned, and Félix had the distinct feeling he’d somehow lost during that exchange. “So you want to see her.”

Félix glared at the smug little being. He knew he’d probably have to have this conversation eventually, but he was going to avoid it for as long as possible. “Plagg, transformez moi.”

“Hey wait, my cheese!” The kwami was sucked into his ring once more, and Félix relished in the feeling of becoming Chat Noir once more. Being a hero was a pretty big responsibility, but it was freeing too. He didn’t have to think as much about how to interact with others, or worry about how his behavior reflected on his family. He could just be himself.

Plagg’s magic finished it’s work and Félix jumped up the rooftops and began making his way towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery. It wasn’t too far away, and it wasn’t long before he was sitting on the roof across the street.

Félix could see her, sitting on her balcony with her sketchbook and a plate of cookies. She was frowning at the paper, erasing more than she was drawing. Félix was torn on whether or not to approach. He hadn’t planned to talk to her, but she seemed so frustrated. Would it be unprofessional to drop by a civilian's home? It wasn’t something he’d ever done before. And if anyone saw him it could draw unwanted attention towards her. _I should probably just go—_

“Chat?”

Félix snapped back to attention at the quiet voice, one he could only hear because of his powers. Marinette was watching him now, her blue eyes wide in surprise. _It’d be rude to ignore her, right?_

Félix jumped across the rooftops to land on her balcony railing. “Bonjour, Marinette.”

She smiled, whatever frustrating she’d been feeling before fading. _Good._

“Hi Chat,” she said, her voice soft and sweet. “What, uh, what brings you here tonight?”

“I just wanted to make sure you’d gotten home safely,” Félix said, forcing himself to hold onto the railing so that he couldn’t fidget. Félix Lapointe did _not_ fidget awkwardly on the balconies of cute girls. _Wait—_

“O-oh,” Marinette said, blushing a deep red.

“Is everything alright?” Félix asked, “You seemed a little frustrated earlier.” Félix nodded towards her sketchbook, and Marinette slumped a bit as she looked at it.

“One of my designs is giving me trouble,” Marinette said, frowning down at the offending paper.

“Would you like me to take a look at it?”

“No!” Marinette jolted, pulling the sketchbook tight against her chest. “Uh, I mean, it’s just, I-I’m a little shy about my d-designs, and, uh, I don’t banna wug you, I mean hug you—I mean bug you!” Marinette groaned and hid her face behind her sketchbook.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to show me if you don’t want to,” Félix said, carefully keeping his amusement out of his voice. The last thing he wanted to do was make her think he was laughing at her; she was just so adorable when she was flustered. _What am I thinking?_

“I, it’s, er,” Marinette hesitated, her eyes flicking between him and her drawings. “Y-you can look, if you want. I just, er. If it _bothers_ you, I can c-change it. Or something.”

Félix was about to ask for clarification on what she meant by that, when she shoved her book into his hands before hiding her face in her arms. Félix studied the sketches in awe, Marinette’s strange behavior suddenly explained.

There were pages and pages of outfits designed after _him_. Dresses and hats and tops, a sneaker marked with his paw pad on the side and cat feet imprinted on the tread. His eyes caught on the largest one, an evening dress that had clearly been sketched and resketched a dozen times over, with dozens of variations that had been drawn, erased, and drawn again.

Félix looked back to Marinette, the small girl had peaked out to watch his reactions, but when their eyes met she blushed and dropped her gaze.

“Marinette, these are incredible,” Félix said, and he meant it. He was fairly certain his mother would kill to get an exclusive on a young designer with Marinette’s talent. He’d have to come up with a subtle way of introducing them then next time she was in Paris.

“R-really? You don’t think it’s weird?”

“Not at all,” Félix said, handing her back the sketchbook with a smile. “I’m actually quite flattered that someone with your talent has felt so inspired by me. It’s a great honor.”

Marinette’s blush got darker, but she smiled at him, so Félix figured it was probably okay. “T-thanks, Chat.”

“You’re welcome,” Félix said. For a moment they sat together in companionable silence, just enjoying the night, but Félix knew that it wasn’t a good idea for him to stay too long. The longer he sat here, the more likely it was that someone would see him, and that could make Marinette into a target for akumas.

“I should probably be on my way,” he said, though his resolve faltered when he saw the way her face fell, just slightly. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Marinette. And...just for the record, since you seemed upset earlier, I wanted you to know that as someone who’s _met_ Chloé, I can confidently say that you are _nothing_ like her.”

Marinette smiled at him, bright and genuine and just so _her_. “Thanks Chat.”

He left her with a quick nod, and with a smile stuck on his face for the rest of the night.


	9. Caricaturiste

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live! Sorry this chapter took so long kids, I had to deal with finals and then I got roped into applying for Grad School (and I got in, so I'll be a busy gal this fall), and I also might have gotten a wee bit distracted with some other projects, which some of you might have seen going up here on Ao3. I don't have an estimate for when the next chapter will be up, but I do have a plan for it, and I'll try to get it to you rather quickly, but now that this chapter is up my top priority is getting everything together for Félix Month this July, so there's that to look forward to as well.
> 
> Anyhow! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I certainly had fun writing it! This particular akuma is actually a more fleshed out version of my theory for what Animaestro would be, back when the title had been announced and that was all my friends and I knew about it. Personally, I like my version better, but I'm probably biased. If you haven't seen Animaestro yet though, or if you did see it and hated it, don't worry, this chapter and that episode actually have very little in common.
> 
> Thanks again to everyone who has liked, commented, and otherwise supported this fic, you're all amazing and whenever I'm feeling down I go back and read all your comments. And shout out to all my lovely friends on Discord, both those who helped me get this story started and those who have been encouraging (or threatening) me to actually get this chapter down. You're all wonderful.

Félix hadn’t mentioned Career Day to his parents. His mother was off in America and his father had left for Germany without a word, so he figured it wasn’t worth the effort of mentioning it. He _had_ told Allegra about it when they last spoke, she was in Bangkok now, but he’d also assured her that he didn’t care about not having anyone there and that she didn’t need to worry, because he probably wouldn’t even be the only one there who’s parent wasn’t able to attend. It wasn’t even a lie.

Félix had considered not going to school at all, but then Kim had mentioned that in years past Marinette had always brought treats to the class on Career Day, and he wasn’t willing to miss out on anything that came from her family’s bakery. So Félix started his day as usual, quickly getting ready while Plagg had breakfast, and then heading downstairs to eat his own.

Félix had eaten breakfast alone every day since Allegra had left for university. It was something he tried not to think about often, but it was a fixed part of his life. So when he entered the dining room and found someone waiting for him at the table, it was a bit of a shock.

“Mother?”

“Surprise!” she said, rising from the table and sweeping him into a hug that Félix was too shocked to return.

“I thought you were in America?” Félix asked.

“I came back for Career Day, sweetheart,” she said, pulling back with an eye roll, as if the reason behind her sudden reappearance should have been obvious and expected. Her amusement shifted into a pout. “Why didn’t you tell me about it? If Allegra hadn’t emailed me I never would have known.”

“I...I didn’t think you had the time for this sort of thing,” Félix said. His mother frowned at him.

“I’m your mother, Félix, I can always make time for you,” she said, rolling her eyes again before taking a seat once more. Félix bit back the urge to remind her that she had _never_ made time for him before. “Besides, one of my favorite designers is putting on a show this weekend that I was planning to come see. Oh! I’ll get you a ticket and we can go together.”

Now he understood. His mother hadn’t _really_ come back for Career Day, it had just happened to line up with her schedule and she was taking the opportunity to play at being a parent. His understanding of the world restored, Félix took his own seat and quietly ate his breakfast while his mother talked about New York.

Later, as they were getting into the car, she asked about his own life. “So how are you liking school? Have you made any friends?”

“I like it,” Félix said, “And yes, I’ve made friends with most of my class.”

“Oh good,” his mother said, smiling smugly. “I _knew_ you’d end up enjoying yourself if you gave it a chance.”

Félix held back a sigh. _Of course you did._

 

* * *

 

In the heart of Paris, there stood a bustling office building, filled with shouting managers and sleep deprived creators. It was an animation studio, containing a hundred overworked, over-caffeinated people all rushing to meet a dozen different deadlines for a dozen different projects. Everyone there could be said to be having a ‘rough day’, and while for most employees the stress was balanced out by the joy they took in their work, there were others who were just one ridiculous request away from snapping.

“Du Bellay! Where’s that storyboard I asked you for?”

The studio manager didn’t have a creative bone in his body. He knew nothing but money, and he didn’t care about much else.

“I’m sorry, sir?”

Today’s unfortunate victim of the manager’s ire was relatively new to this studio. Jaques Du Bellay had always loved cartoons, always felt inspired by them, ever since he was a kid. But in the face of his current work environment that enthusiasm had started to fade.

“The storyboard! For the cat and the bug cartoon.”

“You mean the Ladybug and Chat Noir series? You only requested it yesterday, sir.”

“And? Where is it?”

His manager stared at him impatiently, seemingly oblivious to the impossibility of the request he’d just made. Jacques had been excited to work on a cartoon series about Paris’ new heroes, when the idea had been pitched it had sounded incredible. Now it seemed like a burden of insurmountable proportions.

“I’ll get it to you by the end of the day, sir.”

“You better, or it’ll be your job! Honestly, if I’d known it would take this long I would have had it done on a computer,” his boss grumbled the last part, but Jacques caught it anyhow.

“Sorry, sir?”

“Get with the times, Du Bellay! Nobody cares about cartoons anymore. It’s all CGI. If you weren’t drawing heroes you’d be out of a job in no time,” the man said, speaking as though Jacques were a particularly naive child. “So draw me some heroes already.”

The boss left him, and Jacques pulled his loosely sketched storyboard toward himself. The cartoon faces of Ladybug and Chat Noir smiled mockingly at him, and he found himself wanting to tear the paper to shreds. This job wasn’t what he’d wanted, wasn’t what he’d thought it would be at all. Working for a man with no understanding of the creative process, or even a respect for the genre. Why even work at an _animation_ studio if you didn’t like animation?

Jacques didn’t notice the little purple butterfly that was flying toward him, didn’t see it drop into the paper he was clutching so tightly. But he heard the voice that spoke only inside his head.

_Some people have no respect for art._

“No, they don’t.”

_I’ll give you the ability to show everyone just how entertaining cartoons can be, but in return…_

“You want the miraculouses, right? No problem.”

_Then it’s time to draw up a victory, Caricaturiste._

 

* * *

 

Marinette loved Career Day. It was a chance for her parents to show off their skills, true, but more than that, it was a chance for her to learn more about her classmates and their lives. For example, last year she learned that Juleka’s mother taught music lessons, and that her friend had learned to play the guitar before learning to speak, which explained a bit about the girl’s quiet nature.

And the year before that, she learned that Alix’s dad was a curator at the Louvre, and that her friend’s interest in art had come from growing up around so many famous pieces. The Louvre was also where Alix had first met Nathanael, which Marinette had never known before. Of course, not all of what she learned about her classmates was  _ good _ .

Four years ago, for instance, she’d learned that the mayor of Paris would do anything to suit the whims of his daughter, no matter the consequences for anyone else. Every year she held out hope of that changing, but so far it hadn’t. Marinette was starting to think it never would. 

Marinette was excited for what this year would bring, and she smiled brightly at each of her classmates as they came in with their parents. Alya’s mom came in wearing her chef’s jacket, and Sabrina’s father was in his full police uniform. Marinette often wondered how Sabrina had become so willing to break rules for Chloé when her father was such a stringent lawman. Nino and one of his moms came in next, and the warm hearted woman wrapped Marinette in a tight hug as a greeting.

Adrien came in alone, keeping his head low and trying to draw as little attention as possible to himself. He kept checking his phone, then looking increasingly resigned when whatever message he was hoping for didn’t come. Though he did brighten up a bit when Nino’s mom started to fuss over him.

“Oh, Andre! It’s so good to see you again!” 

Marinette’s attention turned to a blonde woman in a light blue dress and white cardigan, grinning as she walked over to talk with the mayor, leaving a resigned looking Félix in her wake. Mayor Bourgeois smiled back at her. “Oh, good morning, Vivienne! I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning. How was New York?”

Félix stood awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes flicking between his seat and his mother, now animatedly talking to the mayor. Marinette waved to catch his attention. “Morning, Félix.”

“Good morning,” Félix nodded at her politely, and though he still seemed a bit stiff, the tension had mostly dropped from his shoulders. “How are you today?”

“I’m good,” Marinette said. She noticed Félix’s eyes dart to the tray of baked goods on her desk, and she grinned at him. “Would you like a croissant?” 

“Oh, thank you, but I probably sh—”

“Oh, sweetheart, is this your girlfriend?” Félix tensed up all over again as his mother came up behind him and wrapped an arm around him shoulders.

“No, mother, this is Marinette,” he said, ducking his head to glare at the ground, though Marinette noticed that the tips of his ears had turned red. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Well why not?” his mother asked, pouting just a bit. Félix had a look on his face like he wanted the ground to swallow him, so Marinette decided to intervene.

“It’s nice to meet you, Madam Lapointe,” Marinette said, holding out her hand.

“Oh, call me Vivienne, dear,” she said, taking Marinette’s hand with a smile. “I’m so glad to see that Félix really has been making friends, he’s never really had the opportunity to do so before. Are you a baker?”

Vivienne nodded to her tray of baked treats, and Marinette smiled and nodded to her father. “My Papa is the baker, though I help him sometimes.”

“Marinette’s actually a designer,” Félix said, standing a bit straighter. “She recently won a design contest the school put on, and she’s incredibly talented.”

Marinette flushed, she hadn’t even realized that Félix had  _ seen  _ her hat design. “Thank you, Félix.”

Vivienne gave her an appraising look. “A designer, huh? Well, let me know when you make your official debut, I always love seeing new talents. If you’re as good as Félix says, I might even be able to feature you in  _ La Chérie _ .” 

Marinette’s eyes widened a bit, and she mentally kicked herself.  _ Félix Lapointe. Vivienne Lapointe. Oh wow.  _ Had she  _ really  _ not made that connection? “I-I’ll be sure to keep you posted.”

“Good. And feel free to drop by the house if you’re ever in need of a mentor,” Vivienne said, before a mischievous grin slipped onto her face. “Or if you ever want to spend a bit more time with Félix. He clearly needs a bit of a push with the girlfriend thing.”

“Mother!”

“What? She’s cute  _ and  _ she likes fashion,” Vivienne said, pouting as her son glared at her. Marinette’s face turned as red as a tomato. “You could do worse.” 

“I think class is about to begin, we should really head to my seat now,” Félix said, not-so-gently pushing his mother away from Marinette and up the stairs. Vivienne laughed.

“Alright, sweetheart. I do hope you’ll invite Marinette over though, she seems like a very sweet girl,” Vivienne said, letting her son lead her away.

Marinette buried her face in her hands, and did her best to ignore Alya’s snickering. “You look a little red there, Mari.”

“Not. A. Word.”

Alya cackled, and Marinette’s face felt even hotter. She hoped she could get that under control before she needed to go up front with her father.

 

* * *

 

Félix should have stayed home. He should have feigned an illness and stayed in bed all day. Bringing his mother to his school was an absolute disaster. She’d embarrassed poor Marinette to the point that he wouldn’t blame his classmate if she chose never to speak to him again, and Nathanael had gleefully encouraged Vivienne to share Félix’s most embarrassing childhood stories (she’d known fewer than he’d expected, but it was still awful).

By the time the class broke for lunch, Félix was  _ praying _ for an akuma to attack. That was his first mistake.

The whole city seemed to feel the crash, and the class pulled out their phones in sync to see what had happened. Pictures and videos were flooding social media, all of a sidewalk with a weird looking hole in it. A very dizzy looking man with an anvil on his head slowly rose from the hole, stars dancing around him as a giant red bump rose on his head.  _ What on earth? _

Alya squealed in excitement. “Oh I have  _ so _ gotta film this!”

She bolted from the room before anyone could object, and their classmates erupted into conversation. Félix’s mother frowned and leaned closer to him. “Félix, do you know what’s going on? Was there an earthquake?”

“No, it’s an akuma,” Félix said, frowning.  _ Has she really been paying so little attention? _ “Ladybug and Chat Noir will take care of it.” 

Assuming that he could get out of class, that was. The windows shook as something colorful zoomed past outside, but Félix wasn’t sure what it was. The ensuing crash sent a shock wave that made the building jump, though, and that was enough for Madam Bustier to dismiss the class for fear of structural damage.

His mother ended up talking with Mayor Bourgeois, clearly trying to fill in the gaps of her knowledge about Paris’ current supervillain problem. Félix hung back, carefully falling behind before ducking into an empty classroom.

“I’d suggest we ignore this and take a nap, but I don’t know if even  _ I  _ could nap through all that noise,” Plagg said, pouting as he floated out of his chosen’s pocket.

Félix rolled his eyes, certain that Plagg could nap through _ anything. _ “Plagg, transformez moi!”

One bright flash of green and a tail later, Félix was ready to take on whatever oddball akuma Papillon had cooked up this week. He slipped out of the school and onto the rooftops, scanning the city for signs of the akuma. A massive explosion three blocks away gave him a direction to head in, and he started making his way over. He didn’t see any signs of Ladybug as he neared the akuma, but he trusted that she would arrive soon and he was fairly confident that he could handle occupying an akuma on his own in the meantime.

That was his second mistake.

The akuma was standing in the street, next to the exploded remnants of a piano and a terrified looking man covered in soot, who Félix noted was the same man from the anvil incident earlier.

“An  _ explosive  _ performance, Sir!” said the akuma with an impossibly wide grin. He was cartoonish in a way that Félix wouldn’t have thought possible; a black and white sketch brought to life more than a person. His limbs were long and thin, and his gloves and shoes were overly large in comparison. He had a sketchpad in one hand and was twirling a pencil in the other, so Félix was fairly certain that he knew what his akumatized object was. “Ready for the encore?”

Félix dropped down to the street, immediately drawing the akuma’s attention to him. “Street performers need permits, you know.”

“Well, I’ll be! It’s Chat Noir!” The akuma walked up to him, an unnatural smile fixed on his face as he made a few quick scribbles on his sketchpad. Félix faltered at the jovial greeting, and when the akuma grabbed his hand for an overpowered handshake he couldn’t think of anything to do but allow it. “The name’s Caricaturiste, and can I just say what an  _ honor _ it is to meet you?”

“I, what?”

Caricaturiste finally released his hand, but only to wrap an arm around Félix and lead him away down the street. “I mean really, you do  _ so much _ for this city, ya know? You’re a real credit to Paris. A real stand up kid.”

“Er, thank you?” Félix had never encountered such an amiable akuma, and he wasn’t sure how he was meant to respond to being praised by an enemy. As they walked he noticed Alya filming from behind a safety cone, watching the scene with confusion. 

“And polite too! You can always count on heroes for that, though, right?” Caricaturiste said, switching course to lead Félix toward Alya, ignoring the cones and signs warning of an open manhole. Caricaturiste finally let go, and his smile seemed to grow even wider as he stepped back from Félix. “Really, I’m flattered that you could  _ drop _ by.”

Félix frowned, but before he could question the emphasis he very suddenly fell through the open manhole. 

“Chat Noir!”

“Oh don’t worry, Miss, I’ve got just the thing for him,” Caricaturiste said, before dropping an anvil down the hole. Félix yelped as it landed, and found that while he was in immense pain, he didn’t actually seem to be harmed.  _ Small miracles. _

Félix shoved the anvil off himself, then carefully pulled himself out of the hole. Alya was there, her attention torn between him and the akuma, who was now whistling cheerfully as he walked away, once more sketching on his pad. Félix glared at his back. “Alright, fun’s over.”

Caricaturiste winked and then took off running, and Félix sprinted down the road after him. He followed the akuma down the street and into a park, trying his best not to bowl over any civilians, though Caricaturiste had no qualms doing so. 

The akuma knocked over a gardener, sending equipment everywhere, but Félix didn’t have time to worry about the poor man. In all the time he’d fought as Chat Noir, Félix had never tripped or fallen. His reflexes meant he was always steady on his feet, and it was an ability that had never once failed him. 

That confidence led to his third mistake.

Félix stepped onto a rake, somehow causing it to rise and smack him in the face. He stumbled back in shock, directly onto a hoe, which popped up to smack him in the back of the head. Two steps forward and his foot landed on the rake again. 

Caricaturiste laughed as Félix fell, though he bolted again at the hero’s glare. Félix stood again, carefully stepping over the garden tools this time, and then took off after him once more. 

Félix chased the akuma across the city, all the way to the Eiffel Tower and then back through the park, but Félix never seemed to get any closer to catching him. Even when Caricaturiste slowed to start sketching, Félix couldn’t quite catch up, and whatever sketch the akuma made resulted in Félix getting hurt. He was starting to think that this akuma’s powers were specifically designed to torment him. 

When Caricaturiste ran into a tunnel, Félix didn’t think much of it. Paris had lots of tunnels, though he would have expected them to have better lighting than this one did. But Félix had night vision, so he wasn’t deterred by a bit of darkness. 

Is it even worth it to keep counting his mistakes?

On the other side of the tunnel, Caricaturiste was working furiously to build a brick wall in front of the exit, grinning all the while. Once he finished, he stepped back to examine his work, then turned with a wink. “You know, kids, I’m starting to think he’s never seen a cartoon before.”

Within minutes, there was a very loud thud, and then a Chat Noir shaped outline was cracked into the wall. The broken section of wall fell forward, and Félix fell with it. Caricaturiste tsked and shook his head, and Félix groaned as he peeled himself off of the bricks. “ _ Smashing _ entry there, kid.”

Félix  _ glared  _ at the akuma, trying to convey every bit of hatred he could muster through the look. Caricaturiste laughed, then pulled an anvil out of his pocket and dropped it on Félix. Paris shook as Félix and the anvil broke through the ground, and the hero groaned from the bottom of a freshly made hole in the ground.  _ Please let Ladybug get here soon. _

Félix pulled himself out of the hole slowly, and cringed at the sight of the akuma sketching again. Caricaturiste waved and then ran off, leaving Félix to wait for whatever horrible thing that had been planned for him to happen. But a few minutes passed and nothing changed, and Félix took a quick look around to confirm that there were no more falling anvils or stray garden tools waiting to hurt him. He pulled out his baton to call Ladybug, but she didn’t answer.

Félix frowned, trying to decide what to do. Ladybug was still MIA, but maybe he could come up with something to distract the akuma until she arrived? The city shuddered again, and he decided that no matter what, he needed to keep the akuma’s attention off of regular citizens. Félix made his way back up to the rooftops, trying to think of a plan. This akuma seemed fond of absolute nonsense, so maybe he could use that?

The idea came to him suddenly, like a light bulb had come on above his head. He grinned as the perfect plan began to form in his mind. He just needed a little time. And a stove top.

 

* * *

 

Marinette was doing her best to conceal her panic from her father, but it wasn’t easy. He was sticking to her side like glue, and Marinette couldn’t get away. Which meant that Ladybug couldn’t show up to help Chat Noir with the akuma. Which meant that her partner was alone and, if the footage going up on the Ladyblog was anything to go by, getting seriously injured because of it.

She bit her lip as she watched a video that one of Alya’s followers had posted, cringing in sympathy as Chat was smacked in the face by the handle of a rake. Again.  _ Poor Kitty. _

“Don’t worry, Marinette, Ladybug and Chat Noir will set everything right soon,” her father said, giving her a smile and wrapping one arm around her for a quick side hug. Marinette tried to give him a smile, but it was hard to seem reassured when she knew full well that nothing could be fixed until she could get away and actually fix it.

She needed an opening. Something big enough to distract her father so that she could get away, but that couldn’t be traced back to her. Essentially, she was trapped until someone or something intervened, and that seemed rather unlikely.

Then Caricaturiste came sprinting down the street, with a parade of police cars hot on his heels. The group of students and parents were quick to run out of the way, and Marinette and her father were no exception. She had never thought that she would be thankful to see an akuma, but today it finally gave her the chance to slip away in the chaos.

Once she’d made it out of sight around a corner and down an alleyway, Marinette opened her purse and give Tikki a worried look. “Are you ready, Marinette?”

The city shook again, and Marinette thought she could hear the sound of a massive car crash and a dying siren. She was a little bit worried about that, but there was nothing she could do until she was actually transformed. “As I’ll ever be. Tikki, transformez moi!”

Marinette let the magic wash over her, grinning as she transformed, and then set to work on tracking down the akuma. A quick check of her yo-yo showed her where Chat Noir had gone, as well as a missed call, and she took off across the rooftops in his general direction.

She quickly tracked her partner to a rooftop a few blocks away, though a sudden yelp from behind her made her worry she may have taken too long. Marinette turned just in time to see Chat Noir, his head covered in spaghetti and a look of horror on his face, as he just barely managed to stop himself from colliding into her.

“I hate this akuma,” He hissed, then quickly set about removing the spaghetti, grumbling in a way that reminded her of an angry cat. Marinette bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing, though she was incredibly curious as to how exactly the akuma had caused his predicament.  _ Speaking of the akuma... _

“Ladybug! So nice of you turn up!” Caricaturiste grinned at her from a neighboring rooftop, a pencil in one hand and a sketch pad in the other. He was dressed like an old fashioned cartoon character, and suddenly the footage she’d seen of his attacks was starting to make a lot more sense. “Gosh, what has the world come to when you can’t even count on heroes to be punctual anymore?”

Marinette narrowed her eyes at the cartoonish villain. “I’m afraid I had a prior commitment that couldn’t be rearranged for such a minor threat.”

Caricaturiste’s eye twitched, and while his smile grew, it seemed much more sinister, and Marinette felt dread pool in her gut as he set his pencil to paper once more. “ _ Minor _ threat, huh? We’ll see about that.”

 

* * *

 

Alya had never gotten so close to an akuma attack before, but with Caricaturiste, she was able to get the best footage she’d ever filmed without any of the regular risks that usually came with trying to get close to an akuma attack. She wasn’t sure if he just liked being filmed or if he just didn’t care to attack anyone who hadn’t wronged him, but he would turn and wink at her whenever one of his tricks worked out, and he was fast becoming one of Alya’s favorite akumas.

Not to say that she was rooting for him, or anything. She totally wasn’t. Team Ladybug forever.

“Chat, look out!”

Alya focused her camera back on the heroes, who were struggling to dodge a barrage of pies. Chat Noir had just tried to rush at the akuma, ignoring the delicious projectiles, only to be slammed in the face with a pie that had been concealing a miniature anvil. Alya winced in sympathy as he went down. “Well viewers, Chat Noir certainly is taking a beating today. Hopefully he knows a good concussion specialist, he might need to get checked over.”

Ladybug grabbed her partner and pulled him behind a car. She stood, giving one final look to the akuma, and Alya grinned, carefully focusing her camera on the spotted heroine.  _ Was she about to… _ “Lucky Charm!”

Alya grinned, she’d never managed to get so close when Ladybug was calling for her Lucky Charm before. Though she wasn’t quite sure what to make of the spotted perfume bottle that dropped into the hero’s hands. “Watch closely, dear viewers, because Ladybug’s about to end this fight, and I don’t know about you, but I’m very excited to see how!”

Ladybug looked around carefully as she tried to figure out what to do, actually spraying the perfume at one point. Chat Noir came to, sitting up and sniffing the air before looking at Ladybug adoringly. Alya grinned, then zoomed in on Chat’s face. “Now  _ that _ is the face of a boy in love. Are any of you viewers Ladynoir shippers? I know I am.”

Ladybug snapped her fingers, saying something that Alya couldn’t hear over the sudden onslaught of meows around her, and then Chat’s usual serious demeanor returned. “Aw, looks like Ladybug shot him down.”

Ladybug made some complicated gestures that Alya couldn’t hope to understand but her partner nodded and grinned. Chat jumped over the car, running toward Caricaturiste and keeping the akuma’s attention firmly on him. 

Meanwhile, Ladybug carefully made her way toward the akuma, taking care to stay out of sight. Once she was close enough, Ladybug pounced, unscrewing the top of her bottle and upending it on the akuma as she leapt over him. Ladybug landed on top of a car, and sat down with a satisfied grin. 

Caricaturiste glowered around his smile, and touched his pencil to paper once more. Alya bit her lip in anticipation, but before the akuma could draw his plan to life, an orange tabby cat landed on his head. Then a gray and white cat was slinking between his legs, and a calico had landed on his shoulder, and a white fluff ball that meowed was crawling up his leg. 

Alya watched in awe as seemingly every cat in Paris came running to tackle the akuma. She’d never seen so many cats in her life, and she’d certainly never seen them be so uniformly affectionate. Caricaturiste lost his hold on his sketchbook as he was overrun by feline admirers, and it skidded across the concrete to land at Chat Noir’s feet. One quick use of Cataclysm later and a little black butterfly was set loose. 

“ Je te libère du mal!” Ladybug called, catching the akuma quickly and then waving off the purified butterfly. Then she lifted her empty perfume bottle and tossed it into the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

The miraculous cure spread out over the city, clearing away smashed pies, returning the horde of cats to wherever they’d come from, and turning Caricaturiste into a very confused civilian. Ladybug jumped off the car with a grin, and made her way over to Chat Noir. 

Alya focused her camera on the heroes, and wondered if there would be time for her to get an interview.

 

* * *

 

“Bien joué!” Marinette bumped fists with her partner, giving him a smile before turning to the man formerly known as Caricaturiste.

“What...what happened?”

“You were akumatized,” Marinette said, giving him a sad smile as she handed him the papers that had been his akumatized object. The man froze in panic.

“Oh no! I have to get my storyboard done! I was supposed to get it finished today! Oh, how am I supposed to come up with a cartoon akuma fight by the end of the day?”

“Akuma fight?” Chat asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, I’m working on cartoon series about the two of you. Oh, but don’t tell anyone yet, it’ll be awhile still before it’s done. If it’s  _ ever _ done.”

Marinette hummed, her eyes drifting to a familiar reporter, her phone still trained on the heroes. “You know, we kind of just had one.”

“What?”

“You’d probably have to change some things, and you’d still need to draw everything, but if you talk to that girl over there,” Marinette pointed at Alya, “I’d be willing to bet that she got the whole fight on camera, and I’m sure she’ll show you the footage if you asked.”

His eyes widened, and a smile spread across his face. “That’s amazing! Thank you, Ladybug!”

“You’re welcome!” Marinette said, watching him go with a smile. Chat Noir sighed.

“Why do I get the feeling that that cartoon is going to make me look like an idiot?” he asked, slumping.

“Oh, I’m sure that won’t happen, Chat,” Marinette said, giving him an encouraging smile. “We’re partners. Everything we do, we do together, and Paris knows that.”

“Thanks, Ladybug,” Chat Noir said, putting a hand on her shoulder and smiling, and Marinette felt her heart rate rise and as all of her composure evaporated. “I really couldn’t have asked for a better partner.”

“Y-you’re wery velcro, er, velcome—I mean, v-very welcome!” Marinette stuttered out, trying not to think about how red her face must be. Her earrings beeping had never been such a welcome sound. “B-bug out!”

She bolted, tossing her yo-yo and swinging away from any further embarrassment. In her haste, she didn’t even notice the fond smile on Chat’s face, or the watchful eyes of the cartoonist who had  _ completely  _ misread the situation.

As it was though, Marinette was too busy trying to contain her minor freak out until she was safely out of sight and detransformed, at which point she could squeal in peace. “Did you hear that, Tikki?”

“It sounds like Chat Noir really admires you, Marinette,” Tikki said, smiling at her chosen. “But we should get back, your father will be worried.”

“You’re right, Tikki,” Marinette said, taking a few deep breaths and trying to calm down. She couldn’t quite get the giddy smile off her face, though. She made her way back to the front of the school, and was promptly enveloped into a hug. 

“Marinette, thank goodness you’re alright!” Her father said, squeezing her tightly. “I was so worried. Where have you been?”

“I’m sorry, Papa,” Marinette said, returning the hug. “When we got separated I thought I should find somewhere out of the way to hide until Ladybug set things right.”

Her father sighed, finally setting her down. “That was smart, but next time call me to let me know that you’re alright, okay sweetheart?”

“I will, Papa,” Marinette said, making a mental note to be more careful about how she slipped away in the future. “Sorry again to worry you.”

Marinette’s classmates and their parents gathered around the school as well, and Madam Bustier called everyone back inside. The only ones missing were Alya and Adrien, and though Alya sheepishly stumbled into the room while Juleka and her mother talked about the less formal side of music industry, Adrien never came back. Marinette supposed that she wouldn’t have wanted to come back either, though, if her father had bailed on her today.

Alya was bouncing in her seat with excitement through the rest of the presentations, and Marinette suspected that it  _ wasn’t _ because Vivienne Lapointe offered to set up a field trip to  _ La Chérie’s _ Parisian headquarters during her presentation. The very second the bell rang Alya had her phone pulled out. “I got to talk to Chat Noir!”

“Really? What’d he say?” Marinette asked, scooting closer as Alya pulled up a video on her phone. Alya grinned, saying nothing but hitting play, the video picking up shortly after Marinette had left.

“Chat Noir!” Alya’s voice sounded from off screen as the reporter rushed forward. “Got a minute for some quick questions?”

“You’re the girl who runs the Ladyblog, right?” Chat asked, checking his ring. “I can spare a minute. What would you like to know?”

“Do you and Ladybug hang out outside of akuma attacks?”

“We patrol pretty regularly, if that’s what you mean,” Chat said, his voice even and professional. Marinette wondered if he had ever given an interview before. “And being on friendly terms helps with teamwork and communication.”

“Do you and Ladybug have any new leads on Papillon?”

“Ladybug and I are doing what we can, but given his method of attack and the memory loss suffered by his victims, we aren’t left with many leads,” Chat Noir said, “We  _ will _ take him down though, and it’s only a matter of time before he makes a mistake that lets us catch him. In the meantime, we’ll be here, ready to face whatever he might throw at us.”

Marinette wasn’t sure when, but she was suddenly certain that Chat Noir had experience with giving interviews. Not that she was going to tell Alya that. 

Chat’s ring beeped in warning, and he sighed down at it. Alya’s voice was amused when she spoke. “Not looking forward to going back to civilian life?”

Chat gave her a half smile. “Does anyone look forward to going to school?”

“You can always ditch,” Alya suggested. “Not that I’m advocating for skipping school.”

Chat laughed and shook his head. “I might just think about that. But either way, I’m out of time.”

And then Chat was gone. Alya paused the video to squeal. “Chat Noir knows who I am!”

Marinette giggled, happy for her friend’s excitement. “Well, the Ladyblog  _ is _ pretty awesome.”

“Aw, quit flattering me, girl!” Alya said, sliding her phone into her bag with a grin. “More importantly though, what would you say to coming over to my house and helping me figure out what school Chat Noir goes to? I think I’ve got a lead on who he is.”

“Actually, Alya, I think we need to go home and have a chat about running off to chase after akumas,” Marlena said, frowning at her daughter. Alya slumped a bit. “Marinette can come over another time.”

Alya sighed, and Marinette gave her an apologetic smile, though she was secretly glad for the intervention. Marinette  _ did _ want to learn more about her partner, she wanted to learn  _ everything  _ about him really, but she wanted to learn because he felt comfortable enough to share those things with her, not because she and Alya had sleuthed them out behind his back.

“Bye Als, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Marinette said, waving her friend off before following her father out. Even with the brief interruption of an akuma, she thought that today had been a fairly good day. She also had patrol to look forward to tonight, which was one of her favorite ways to end a day. Not to mention her father had decided to make a fresh batch of macarons.

 

* * *

 

Félix had made it back to the school just before his transformation dropped, and he tried not to be too shocked at how easy it was to slip back into the crowd of his peers. He was fairly certain that his mother hadn’t even noticed that he’d disappeared, as she was still fully absorbed in her conversation with Andre. He told himself that was a good thing, and that it made keeping his identity secret that much easier.

The rest of the school day was just as awful as the morning had been, maybe even worse, since his mother had apparently made it her mission to ensure that the whole class knew just how important his family was. He could only hope that they wouldn’t think less of him for it. He’d also developed a splitting headache, though he wasn’t sure if that was because of his mother or because of the akuma attack.

There was one small highlight, which came after the bell rang and Alya finally cracked and started, rather loudly, telling Marinette about getting to talk to Chat Noir. He’d known the girl would be excited about it, but he hadn’t realized just  _ how  _ excited. She ended up squealing so loud that he was fairly certain the entire school had heard her.

Marinette seemed happy as well, though she was a little more subdued about it. Still, her smile made him feel a bit better about all the terrible things that had gone on that day, and he felt rather pleased with himself as he made his down the steps. Or at least, he was pleased until he got close enough to hear what Alya was saying.

“...helping me figure out what school Chat Noir goes to? I think I’ve got a lead on who he is.”

Félix tripped over nothing, and only managed to avoid falling down the stairs because Nathaneal was there to grab his arm. “You okay?”

“Yes, thank you,” Félix said, doing his best to push down his internal panic. Could Alya have recognized him somehow? None of his other classmates had showed any signs of recognizing him while in costume. Maybe it had been something he said? He thought he’d done a fairly good job of keeping his answers professional and impersonal. Except...he  _ did _ tell her that he went to school. Surely that wasn’t enough to tell her who he was though, right? He hadn’t even specified what level of schooling he was in!

But she had to know  _ something _ to have said that to Marinette. Had he messed up and detransformed near her at some point?

“Are you coming, dear?” his mother said, and Félix snapped out of his panicking long enough to realize that he’d stopped walking at the front of the classroom, and his mother was waiting by the door, almost looking concerned.

“Yes mother, my apologies,” Félix said. His mother smiled and all traces of worry vanished from her face. Félix tried to focus on following her to the car, and on responding as she talked about things he couldn’t quite be bothered to listen to.

They made it home without incident, and Félix retreated to his room to panic in private. What did Alya know about him? How did she know it? Would she post it on the Ladyblog? And how could he tell Ladybug about it without revealing that he was in Alya’s class? 

Plagg watched his chosen pace for a few minutes, quietly nibbling on his cheese. “You’re going to tread a hole in the floor if you keep on like this, you know.”

“Alya knows who I am, Plagg! Or she’s about to,” Félix said, glaring at the kwami. “I don’t know what to do, or how she knows, or—”

“Or if she actually knows anything at all,” Plagg said, completely unconcerned. “She might have a theory, but she doesn’t have proof, and she’s probably wrong anyway. The miraculous magic is good at keeping people from figuring out identities, kid, it’ll redirect her. Just relax and let the magic do its job.”

“So you’re saying do nothing?” Félix said, staring at Plagg in disbelief. 

“I’m suggesting you  _ wait _ ,” Plagg said, rolling his eyes. “Chances are she knows nothing, and even if she does know  _ something _ , she’ll need prove before she can come forward with it. Keep an eye on her, but don’t let her know that anything is wrong. It’ll be  _ fine _ .”

Félix huffed. “And what about Ladybug?”

“What about her?”

“Shouldn’t I tell her that Alya might be on to me?” Félix asked. “Warn her maybe?”

“Nah, you’ll only worry her, and it’s probably nothing,” Plagg said, taking another bite of cheese before continuing, “Besides, then you’d have to explain how you found out about Alya’s theory, and you can’t do that without revealing too much, right?”

Félix sighed. “Right.”

“You just need to relax, kid,” Plagg said. “Just sit back and enjoy some good cheese.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Your loss then.”

Félix sighed again. “Why are you like this?”

Plagg only cackled.  _ Imp. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because I had entirely too much fun writing it. Hopefully I can get the next chapter out soon, and in the meantime feel free to make a guess about who the next akuma is going to be!


End file.
